1887-       -1888 


il 


H-E-KREHBIEL/ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


iai#£:**v 


REVIEW 


OF    THE 


NEW  YORK  MUSICAL  SEASON 


1887-1888 


CONTAINING  PROGRAMMES  OF  NOTEWORTHY  OCCURRENCES, 
WITH  NUMEROUS  CRITICISMS, 


BY 


H.    E.    KREHBIEL 


^C^ 


NEW  YORK  &  LONDON 

NOVELLO,    EWER   &   CO. 
1888 


COPYRIGHTED,    1 888,    BY 

H.    E.    KREHBIEL. 
ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED. 


Klectrotyped,  Printed  and  Bound  by 
THE    ALDINE    PRINTING    WORKS, 
No.  248  Walnut  Street, 
CINCINNATI. 


MUSIC 
LIBRARX 


\J. 


TO 

MR.   LUCIEN   WULSIN, 

A    FRIEND. 


EDITOR'S  NOTE. 


ACCURACY  in  the  record  has  been  my  chief  concern  in  the 
compilation  of  this  REVIEW.  ///  determining  what  to  include 
in  it  I  have  tried  to  be  guided  entirely  by  the  question  of  artistic 
significance  and  value.  The  number  of  musical  entertainments 
omitted  is  small;  as  a  rule,  they  were  pupils'  and  benefit  concerts. 
When  performances  of  novelties  are  credited  to  the  concerts 
of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society,  Brooklyn  Philharmonic 
Society,  Symphony  Society,  or  Mr.  Thomas  (except  the  Popular 
Matinees),  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  compositions  were, 
in  reality,  first  heard  at  the  public  rehearsals  for  these  concerts. 
In  the  first  three  cases  these  rehearsals  took  place  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  preceding  day ;  in  the  last  case,  on  the  preceding  Thursday 
afternoon. 

H.  E.  KREHBIEL. 
New   York,  April  23,  1888. 


526204 

irmr^n 


REVIEW  OF  THE 

NEW  YORK  MUSICAL  SEASON 

1887-1888 


OCTOBER 


Saturday,  Fifteenth. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  thirty-seventh  organ 
recital,  first  of  the  season.  Praludium,  G  major  (Book  VIII, 
No.  2),  J.  S.  Bach ;  Andante  con  moto,  G  minor,  A.  P.  F. 
Boely;  Elevation,  E  major,  Saint-Saens;  Overture,  E  minor 
("Horn"),  G.  Morandi;  Pastorale,  A  major,  op.  5,  Henri  Des- 
hayes;  Larghetto,  C  major,  C.  J.  Frost;  Canzona,  A  minor, 
op.  40,  No.  2,  Guilmant;  Andantino,  D  major,  Joseph  Barnby ; 
Senate  Pastorale,  Rheinberger. 

Monday,  Seventeenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert  in  America  of  Sign- 
orina  Teresina  Tua.  Overture,  "  Egmont,"  Beethoven; 
Violin  Concerto,  G  minor,  Bruch ;  Concerto  for  pianoforte,  F 
minor  (second  and  third  movements),  Chopin  (Alexander 
Lambert);  "Air  Hongrois,"  Ernst;  "Legende,"  Wieniawski; 
"Zapateada,"  Sarasate ;  Gavotte,  Arthur  Bird;  Minuet,  from 

(0 


October.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

"  Euryanthe,"  Weber.     Conductor  of  the  orchestra,  Frank  Van 
der  Stucken. 

The  coming  to  our  shores  of  the  fascinating  creature  whose 
exceedingly  euphonious  name  suggests  that  any  amount  of  envy  of 
the  unknown  second  person  singular,  to  whom  it  seems  addressed, 
might  be  set  down  as  righteous,  compelled  our  music  patrons  either 
to  discard  all  thought  of  trying  to  estimate  her  artistic  station  or  to 
decide  beforehand  how  much  value  in  such  an  estimate  was  to  be 
allotted  to  winsome  ways  and  cunning  coquetries  and  how  much 
reserved  for  serious  art.  Doubtless,  for  the  majority  of  those  who 
got  within  eye  and  earshot  of  Teresina  Tua,  the  former  alternative 
made  the  stronger  appeal.  A  dainty  and  piquant  personality  who 
can  ravish  one  sense  with  her  mere  outward  appearance  and  behav- 
ior, who  is  accoutred  besides  with  a  pair  of  deep,  round  eyes  that 
open  with  childish  delight  at  every  sign  that  their  owner  is  the  cause 
of  pleasure,  with  full  Roman  lips  drawn  always  into  a  semi-circular 
pout,  who  can  put  a  violin  under  her  dimpled  chin  and  attack  it 
with  a  pretty  pugnacity  which  must  challenge  every  fibre  of  the 
blest  wood  to  thrill  in  accord  with  her  wishes — such  a  creature 
invites  criticism  of  the  unemotional,  uncompromising,  inconsiderate 
kind  only  from  heart-callous  listeners  or  devotees  who  approach  the 
temple  of  music  solely  to  worship.  And  such  a  creature  is  the 
woman  who  gave  her  first  American  concert  on  this  occasion. 

Naturally  she  achieved  a  triumph,  and  naturally  also  those  who 
gave  willing  labor  to  make  that  triumph  brilliant  thought  that  the 
underpinning  had  been  snatched  by  envy  from  all  musical  judgment 
when  the  rash  reviewer  of  the  concert  suggested  that  Teresina  Tua 
is  not  a  repository  of  all  the  excellences  known  to  the  violinist's 
art.  Yet  the  truth  had  to  be  told.  Signorina  Teresina  Tua  is  a 
most  charming  woman,  who  courtesies  and  smiles  so  as  to  put  every 
susceptible  man's  heart  in  a  flutter,  and  who  plays  the  violin  exceed- 
ingly well.  In  some  things  she  is  absolutely  unique ;  but,  alas  !  they 
are  not  those  things  which  stamp  a  violin  player  as  a  good  musician. 
Sarasate's  ' '  Zapateada, "  in  her  hands,  becomes  a  veritable  bit  of 
musical  witchcraft.  Under  her  fingers  its  simple  Spanish  dance 
tune  explodes  into  a  thousand  little  scintillant  notes,  which  flicker 
and  flutter  and  sputter  most  tunefully  and  rhythmically  until,  with 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {October. 

a  final  toss  of  the  bow,  she  brings  the  corruscating  exhibition  to  a 
close,  and  bows  and  smiles  her  delight  at  the  frantic  behavior  of  her 
bewildered  auditors.  It  is  a  delightfully  exciting  pleasure  which 
the  little  gypsy  provides,  but  it  is  a  pleasure  like  that  of  looking  at 
fireworks.  When  the  last  rocket  is  burned  out  the  pleasure  is  past, 
and  when  Signorina  Tua  attempts  to  give  pleasure  of  a  higher  type 
the  limitations  of  her  art  become  evident.  This  was  the  case  in  her 
entrance-piece,  Bruch's  beautiful  concerto  in  G  minor.  At  the 
beginning  of  its  declamatory  phrases  every  ear  Was  charmed  by  the 
sweetness  and  mellowness  of  her  tone,  albeit  there  was  very  little  of 
it,  but  soon  it  became  apparent  that  the  heart  of  the  composition 
was  not  going  to  be  touched;  that  it  was  going  to  be  given  in  minia- 
ture; that  she  approached  this  new  work  with  the  old-fashioned 
definition  of  a  concerto  in  her  mind,  with  the  thought  that  it  was 
merely  a  display  piece  for  the  solo  instrument.  Then  balance  and 
symmetry  were  cast  to  the  wind,  its  suave  and  classic  dignity  gave 
way  to  pretty  sentimentalities,  its  artistic  variety  to  melting  sweets 
and  all  but  inaudible  pianissimos.  The  strong,  rhythmical  accents 
of  its  finale  more  especially  were  either  neglected  or  distorted,  and 
with  all  the  evidences  of  technical  skill  which  were  offered,  the  con- 
certo did  not  present  itself  with  the  nobility  which  is  native  to  it, 
and  to  which  we  are  accustomed  in  our  concert  rooms. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  First  appearance  in 
America  of  Herr  Heinrich  Botel,  tenor  from  the  Stadt  Theatre, 
Hamburg.  Verdi's  opera,  "Der  Troubadour."  Cast:  Graf 
von  Luna,  Emil  Steger ;  Leonora,  Frau  Herbert-Forster ;  Azu- 
cena,  Fraulein  Jenny  Boner;  Manrico,  Herr  Botel;  Ferrando, 
Carl  Miihe. 

Wednesday,  Nineteenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  Teresina  Tua. 
Overture,  "Prometheus,"  Beethoven;  Concerto  for  violin,  E 
minor,  Mendelssohn ;  Introduction  and  Polonaise,  Weber- Liszt 
(William  H.  Sherwood);  "Souvenir  de  Moscou,"  Wieniawski; 
Nocturne,  E-flat,  op.  9,  Chopin-Sarasate ;  Polonaise,  G  major, 
Laub;  German  Dances,  Anton  Urspruch.  Conductor  of  the 
Orchestra,  Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 

(3) 


October.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Der  Troubadour." 

Friday,  Twenty-first. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Signorina  Teresina  Tua's  first  violin 
recital.  "Dreaming  by  the  Brook,"  for  pianoforte,  Robert 
Goldbeck  (played  by  the  composer) ;  Seventh  Concerto  for  the 
violin,  De  Beriot;  Hungarian  Rhapsody,  No.  VIII,  Liszt 
(Mr.  Goldbeck);  "Serenade  Andalouse,"  Sarasate;  "On 
Wings  of  Song,"  Mendelssohn-Liszt,  and  "Tourbillon,"  Rob- 
ert Goldbeck  (Mr.  Goldbeck) ;  Nocturne,  Chopin-Wilhelmj ; 
Mazourka,  Wieniawski. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Der  Troubadour." 

Saturday,  Twenty-second. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Signorina  Tua's  first  matinee.  So- 
nata for  violin  and  pianoforte,  Grieg  (Signorina  Tua  and  Alex- 
ander Lambert);  Song,  "Thou  art  my  All,"  Bradsky  (Henry 
Duzensi) ;  Air  Varie,  Vieuxtemps ;  Barcarolle,  Moszkowski 
(Mr.  Lambert);  Songs,  "Thou  art  like  unto  a  Flower,"  Rubin- 
stein, and  "Spring  Song,"  Gounod  (Mr.  Duzensi);  Cavatina, 
Raff;  Mazourka,  Zarzycki. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Der  Troubadour." 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  thirty-eighth  organ 
recital.  Praludium  et  Fuga,  A  minor  (Book  VIII,  No.  7), 
J.  S.  Bach;  "Reverie,"  A  major,  B.  Luard  Selby;  "  Marche 
Religieuse,"  G  minor,  op.  61,  and  Allegretto,  A  major,  op.  62, 
J.  Baptiste  Calkin;  Grand  Choeur,  A  major,  Th.  Salome; 
Andante,  A  minor,  op.  122,  Merkel;  Preghiera,  A-flat,  and 
Allegretto,  C  major  (Book  IV),  Filippo  Capocci;  Marche 
Triomphale,  E-flat,  Guilmant ;  Sonata,  No.  2,  C  minor, 
Mendelssohn. 

(4) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [October. 

Monday,  Twenty-fourth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Teresina  Tua's  second  violin  recital. 
"  Dernier  Amour,"  for  pianoforte,  Gottschalk  (Robert  Gold- 
beck)  ;  Songs :  "Von  ewiger  Liebe/'  and  "  Minnelied,"  Brahms 
(Max  Heinrich) ;  Ballade  et  Polonaise,  Vieuxtemps  ;  Marche 
Funebre  and  Berceuse,  Chopin  (Mr.  Goldbeck) ;  Songs:  "Am 
Meer"  and  "  Friihlingsglaube,"  Schubert  (Mr.  Heinrich); 
"Memories  "  and  "Cricket,"  Robert  Goldbeck  (Mr.  Goldbeck) ; 
"Faust  Fantaisie,"  Wieniawski. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Der  Troubadour." 

Wednesday,  Twenty-sixth. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8p.m.  German  opera.  Flotow's  "  Martha." 
Cast :  Lady  Harriet,  Selma  Kronold ;  Nancy,  Jenny  Boner ; 
Lord  Tristan,  H.Gerold;  Lionel,  Heinrich  Botel;  Plunket,  Carl 
Miihe. 

Friday,  Twenty-eighth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Teresina  Tua's  third  violin  recital. 
Thirty-two  variations,  C  minor,  Beethoven  (Edwin  Klahre); 
' '  Fantaisie  Caprice, "  Vieuxtemps ;  Songs, ' '  Sonntag  am  Rhein  " 
and  "Tragodie,"  I,  II  and  III,  Schumann  (Max  Heinrich); 
Nocturne,  B-flat  minor,  Chopin,  and  "  Le  Rossignol,"  Liszt 
(Mr.  Klahre);  Romance  for  violin,  Rubinstein;  Mazourka, 
Zarzycki;  "  Cantique  d' Amour,"  Liszt  (Mr.  Klahre);  "  Lieder 
des  Jung  Werners  am  Rhein,"  I,  II,  III,  IV,  Hugo  Briickler 
(Mr.  Heinrich) ;  "  Airs  Hongrois,"  Ernst. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Martha." 

Saturday,  Twenty-ninth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Teresina  Tua's  second  matinee. 
Sonata  for  pianoforte  and  violin,  op.  47,  Beethoven  (at  the 
pianoforte,  Alexander  Lambert);  Songs:  "  Junge  Lieder,"  I 

(5) 


October.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

and  II,  and  "Heimweh,"  I,  II  and  III,  Brahms  (Max  Hein- 
rich);  Ballade  et  Polonaise,  Vieuxtemps;  "  Vogel  als  Prophet," 
Schumann,  and  Gavotte,  Reinecke  (Mr.  Lambert) ;  Songs  :  "  In 
der  Fremde,"  "  Waldesgesprach,"  and  "  Friihlingsnacht," 
Schumann  (Mr.  Heinrich) ;  "Spinning  Song,"  Wagner-Liszt 
(Mr.  Lambert);  "Serenade  Andalouse,"  Sarasate. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  thirty-ninth  organ  recital. 
Canzona,  D  minor  (Book  II,  Novello's  edition),  J.  S.  Bach; 
Cantabile,  B-flat,  and  Prelude,  C  minor,  Edmond  Lemaigre; 
Adagio,  A-flat  (from  a  nocturne),  Spohr;  Marcia  Fantastica, 
C  major,  op.  4,  No.  6,  Bargiel;  Sketch,  C  minor,  J.  E.  West; 
Funeral  March,  C  minor,  op.  12,  Otto  Dienel;  "  Dialogue," 
op.  32,  No.  i,  B.  O.  Klein ;  Sonata,  E  minor,  Oscar  Wagner. 

Sunday,  Thirtieth. 

ARION  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert  of  the  season  of  the  Manner- 
gesangverein  Arion.  "  Ein  Sangerfestzug,"  Frank  Van  der 
Stucken;  "  Das  Grab  im  Busento,"  for  male  chorus  and  orches- 
tra, F.  Gernsheim;  Concert  air,  "  Sappho,  "R.  Volkmann  (Mrs. 
Marie  Gramm);  "Saul's  Prophetengesang,"  unaccompanied 
male  chorus,  F.  Gevaert ;  Adagio  and  finale,  from  the  G  minor 
violin  concerto,  Bruch  (Signorina  Teresina  Tua) ;  ' '  Waldes- 
lied,"  Conradin  Kreutzer  (Franz  Remmertz) ;  Ballet  music, 
"Le  Cid,"  Massenet;  "  Du  schone,  du  liebe,  du  wonnige 
Maid,"  M.  Von  Weinzierl,  bass  solo  (Mr.  Remmertz),  male 
chorus  and  orchestra.  Conductor,  Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 
The  compositions  by  Gernsheim,  Gevaert,  Massenet  and  Von 
Weinzierl  were  performed  for  the  first  time  in  New  York. 

This  was  the  first  concert  held  in  the  new  club-house  of  the 
Mannergesangverein  Arion  after  the  dedication  exercises  in  Sep- 
tember. The  circumstances  may  serve  as  justification  for  a  few 
observations  on  a  distinctively  German  feature  of  social  and 
artistic  life  in  New  York.  One  would  think  that  the  quality  which 
the  Germans,  with  their  fondness  for  extraordinary  compages  of 
letters,  call  Gemiithlichkeit,  and  which  is  a  stock  subject  of  their  poets 
along  with  wine  and  fatherland,  would  make  them  an  exceedingly 

(6) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {October. 

' '  clubable "  people ;  and  yet  the  fact  is  that  of  ordinary  club  life 
they  know  little.  As  a  class  they  are  domestic,  and  have  so  long 
been  accustomed  to  sharing  their  pleasures  with  their  families  that 
they  have  not  felt  the  need  of  club-houses  in  which  to  dine  occa- 
sionally, and  enjoy  with  their  friends  a  quiet  game  of  cards  or 
billiards.  That  in  the  Liederkranz  and  Mannergesangverein  Arion 
are  nevertheless  to  be  found  two  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous 
clubs  in  the  city,  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  these  two  organiza- 
tions promote  not  only  the  congeniality  which  the  German  loves,  in 
a  form  which  does  not  preclude  the  participation  of  his  wife  and 
daughter,  but  also  artistic  culture  of  a  kind  to  which  all  Germans 
are  devoted — that  is,  music. 

It  is  impossible  for  selfishness  or  individualism  to  enter  into  the 
German's  cultivation  of  music.  In  the  parish  schools  of  the 
fatherland,  and  in  the  home  circle,  the  sentiments  to  which  these 
people  are  devoted  are  inculcated  in  the  children  through  the 
medium  of  the  folksongs,  which  are  sung  in  school  and  at  home 
always  in  harmony,  simple  or  complex,  according  to  circumstances. 
Where  the  children  of  other  people  sing  a  melody  laboriously  in 
unison,  a  group  of  German  children  will  sing  their  song  with  a 
second  or  a  second  and  third  part  added.  So  they  grow  up  with 
the  thought  of  music  associated  with  that  of  companionship.  To 
drift  into  a  singing  society  as  soon  as  the  voice  matures  is  to  them 
the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world,  and  the  singing  societies  of 
Germany  are  the  strongest  props  of  that  national  feeling  which 
enabled  the  country  to  triumph  over  its  traditional  foe  in  1870. 

The  love  for  those  customs  of  the  fatherland  the  German  never 
puts  aside.  The  customs  cross  the  ocean  with  him,  and  are  not 
forgotten  in  the  new  life  opened  to  him  here.  In  the  midst  of  the 
bustling  noises  of  the  city  he  manages  to  hear  the  song  of  the 
Loreley  and  the  murmur  of  the  Rhine,  and  on  the  treeless  western 
prairie  he  can  yet  find  the  shadows  of  the  Schwarzwald.  It  is 
because  of  this  that  every  American  community  containing  a  few 
hundred  Germans  boasts  its  singing  society.  Since  1849,  when  the 
first  festival  of  German  singers  was  held  in  Cincinnati,  the  Sanger- 
fests  of  the  North  American  Sangerbund  have  been  held  biennally, 
first  in  one  city,  then  in  another,  and  though  a  critic  might  say  that 
at  these  great  gatherings  (as  many  as  3,000  singers  sometimes  being 

(7) 


October.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

brought  together)  the  worship  of  Gambrinus  is  more  industriously 
cultivated  than  that  of  Apollo,  the  festivals  have  done  much  to 
promote  musical  culture  in  America.  Indirectly  Cincinnati,  where 
the  festivals  started,  owes  her  Music  Hall,  her  May  Festivals,  her 
College  of  Music,  and  her  Art  Museum  to  their  influence.  The 
grafting  of  a  modified  form  of  the  club  idea  on  the  distinctively 
German  singing  society  has  produced  that  feature  of  social  life 
exemplified  in  the  Liederkranz  and  the  Arion.  The  Liederkranz  is 
the  older  society,  its  origin  dating  back  to  January,  1847.  In 
wealth  and  membership  it  also  outranks  the  Arion,  but  the  charac- 
teristic German  elements  have  more  vigorous  representation  in  the 
latter.  Since  1856  the  Liederkranz  has  had  a  chorus  of  mixed 
voices,  whereas  the  Arion  has  stubbornly  held  out  against  this 
feature,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  has  been  desired  by  the  musical 
conductors.  The  Arion  has  maintained  carnival  meetings,  which 
are  among  the  most  enjoyable  of  its  entertainments,  on  a  plane 
that  no  other  organization  in  the  city  has  been  able  to  imitate. 
The  activity  of  the  Liederkranz  has  had  a  stronger  tendency  toward 
social  things.  A  few  years  ago  the  Liederkranz  built  a  fine,  large 
club-house  in  Fifty-eighth  street,  which  it  imagined  at  the  time  would 
suffice  for  its  uses  for  many  years  to  come.  But  already  the  hall  is 
overcrowded,  and  at  each  social  meeting,  or  concert,  to  which  the 
members  are  privileged  to  bring  the  ladies  of  their  families,  they 
bewail  the  lack  of  accommodations. 

A  large  percentage  of  the  Liederkranz  membership  is  American 
by  birth,  having  been  attracted  by  the  social  advantages  offered  by 
the  society.  The  Arion  membership  is  almost  exclusively  German, 
and  the  proportion  of  active  singers  is  larger.  Its  members  lay  more 
stress  upon  the  use  of  the  German  language  within  its  walls,  and 
one  does  not  need  to  be  a  very  close  observer  to  note  that  the 
second  generation  of  Arionites  is  more  thoroughly  Teutonized  than 
the  second  generation  of  Liederkranzler.  This  does  not  mean,  how- 
ever, that  they  are  any  the  less  patriotic  Americans.  In  fact,  if  one 
were  in  search  of  temples  in  which  the  fires  of  American  patriotism 
are  kept  brightly  burning,  he  would  have  to  count  Liederkranz  and 
Arion  Halls  among  the  first.  It  is  only  the  customs,  not  the  poli- 
tics, of  Germany  that  the  German- American  citizen  clings  to  with 
such  tenacity — beer,  not  Bismarck;  music,  not  Moltke. 

(8) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \October. 

The  Arion  Society,  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  the  Mannerge- 
sangverein  Arion,  is  an  offshoot  of  the  Liederkranz.  In  its  origin 
it  exemplifies  the  axiom  that  the  multiplication  of  musical  organiza- 
tions is  generally  due  to  discord.  In  January,  1854,  fourteen 
members  of  the  Liederkranz,  being  unable  longer  to  agree  with  their 
fellows,  cut  loose  and  organized  the  Arion.  Within  a  week  they 
gave  their  first  concert  in  the  Apollo  Rooms,  in  Broadway  near 
Canal  street.  The  first  conductor  was  a  musician  named  Meyer- 
hofer,  who  was  succeeded  by  Karl  Bergmann.  The  latter  remained 
in  the  position,  save  during  a  short  interregnum  beginning  in  1862, 
until  1870.  Other  conductors  for  short  terms  were  Karl  Anschiitz, 
F.  L.  Ritter,  V.  Hartmann  and  H.  Grenier.  In  1871  Dr.  Leopold 
Damrosch  was  brought  from  Breslau,  where  he  was  conducting  the 
opera  and  orchestral  society,  and  remained  conductor  until  1884. 
He  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  the  present  conductor,  Frank  Van  der 
Stucken,  a  native-born  American.  In  addition  to  the  customary 
music  for  male  voices  the  Arion  from  the  beginning  cultivated 
operettas.  In  1855  a  work  of  this  kind,  entitled  "  Mordgrund- 
bruck,"  the  music  composed  by  Mr.  Bergmann,  was  brought 
forward,  and  in  1856  "  Der  Gang  zum  Eisenhammer,"  by  the  same 
composer.  Amusing  little  works  in  the  same  style,  which  do  not 
call  for  female  voices,  are  still  given  occasionally,  but  only  for  the 
diversion  of  the  members  and  their  families.  There  have  been  also 
some  essays  in  a  higher  field.  The  choruses  in  the  first  Wagner 
opera  performed  in  America  were  sung  by  the  Arion  Society.  This 
was  "  Tannhauser, "  produced  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Bergmann 
at  the  Stadt  Theatre  in  the  Bowery  on  August  27,  1859.  Madame 
Siedenberg  was  the  Elizabeth,  Herr  Pickaneser  the  Tannhauser,  and 
a  singer  named  Lehmann  the  Wolfram.  In  1869  the  Arion,  follow- 
ing a  natural  impulse,  performed  "  Der  Freischiitz,"  the  most  Ger- 
man of  German  operas. 

For  the  last  twenty  years  or  thereabouts  the  theatre  of  Arion 
activity  had  been  in  St.  Mark's  Place.  The  increase  in  membership 
and  the  necessity  of  following  the  current  of  population,  how- 
ever, at  length  compelled  the  society  to  imitate  the  Liederkranz. 
Towards  the  close  of  1885  the  officers  decided  to  build  a  new  hall. 
A  lot  of  ground  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Park  avenue  and  Fifty- 
ninth  street  was  purchased  for  $95,000,  and  three  prizes  were 

(9) 


October.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

offered  for  plans  for  the  proposed  new  club-house.  Of  the  ten 
competitors  Messrs.  De  Lemos  and  Cordes  were  successful.  The 
original  plans  contemplated  a  building  to  cost  $200,000,  but  the 
plans  were  afterward  changed  so  as  to  make  the  building  fire-proof 
throughout,  and  this,  together  with  some  unexpected  difficulties  met 
with  in  sinking  the  foundations,  increased  the  cost  of  the  new  club- 
house to  $350,000.  Ground  was  broken  in  March,  1886,  and  the 
corner-stone  was  laid  with  musical  ceremonies  on  June  i2th. 

The  -new  building  has  a  frontage  of  125  feet  on  Park  avenue 
and  90  feet  on  Fifty-ninth  street.  Its  height  is  90  feet  above  the 
curb,  and  it  has  three  stories  and  a  basement.  The  lower  story 
is  of  Berea  sandstone,  the  rest  of  buff  brick  and  terra  cotta.  The 
architectural  forms  and  all  the  decorations,  external  as  well  as 
internal  (except  in  two  rooms  in  the  basement),  are  in  the  style 
of  the  early  Italian  renaissance.  At  the  four  corners  of  the  roof  stand 
classic  tripods,  and  midway  between  them  on  the  two  fronts  are 
zinc  groups  of  heroic  size.  That  on  Park  avenue  represents  Arion 
on  the  back  of  a  dolphin,  that  on  Fifty-ninth  street  Prince  Carnival 
and  two  female  figures  dancing.  The  former  was  modelled  by 
Aloys  Loher,  the  latter  by  Henry  Baerer.  The  cost  of  the  two 
groups  was  $18,000.  A  unique  feature  in  the  construction  of  the 
building  is  the  use  of  the  so-called  Spanish  arch  in  the  floors, 
the  span  being  sometimes  twenty  feet.  The  arch  was  never  before 
used  in  a  large  public  building  in  America,  and  was  executed 
in  this  instance  by  Senor  Guastavino,  a  Spanish  architect.  It  effects 
a  great  saving  of  iron  in  construction.  The  staircases  are  of  iron 
and  marble,  the  halls  laid  with  French  flint  tiles.  The  building 
is  lighted  throughout  by  electricity,  and  not  less  than  $14,000  was 
expended  on  apparatus  for  ventilation.  In  the  basement  is  a 
drinking  room,  Kneipe,  carried  out  in  every  particular  of  decoration 
and  furniture  in  the  mediaeval  German  style,  with  wrought  iron 
fixtures,  heavy  oak  wainscoting,  tables  and  chairs  and  stained  glass 
windows.  Its  dimensions  are  twenty-three  feet  by  fifty.  Hat 
rooms,  toilet  rooms,  a  bowling  alley,  etc. ,  fill  the  rest  of  the  space. 
Two  vestibules,  the  main  one  with  heavy  fluted  columns,  occupy 
much  of  the  first  story.  Opening  into  them  are  a  reading-room, 
two  family  dining-rooms,  billiard  and  card-rooms,  committee  and 
janitor's  rooms,  which  use  up  the  rest  of  the  floor.  In  the  second 

(10) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \October. 

story  is  a  banqueting  hall  fifty-one  feet  wide  and  ninety-five  feet 
long,  besides  kitchen,  pantry,  toilet-rooms,  etc.  Nearly  the  whole 
of  the  third  story  is  occupied  by  the  hall,  which  is  used  as  a  con- 
cert and  dancing  room.  It  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long, 
sixty-two  feet  wide,  and  fifty-eight  feet  six  inches  high.  The  space 
is  unbroken  by  columns,  the  iron  roof  trusses  carrying  the  ceiling. 
The  decorations  are  in  stucco  and  panels.  Across  one  end  is  a 
gallery,  but  the  stage  will  be  a  temporary  one,  and  the  floor  is  level 
to  accommodate  dancers.  Above  the  hall  are  apartments  for  the 
janitor  and  servants.  An  elevator  runs  from  the  bottom  to  the  top 
of  the  building,  the  motive  power  coming  from  the  sub-cellar.  The 
ventilating  fans  are  driven  by  electricity.  The  general  appearance 
of  the  building  is  chaste  and  elegant,  the  facades  being  relieved 
by  handsome  balconies,  and  the  ornamental  designs  in  terra  cotta 
being  consistent  in  style  with  the  architectural  forms. 


NOVEMBER 


Tuesday,  First. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
Adolphe  Adam's  opera,  "Der  Postilion  von  Lonjumeau." 
Cast:  Chapelou  and  Saint  Phar,  Heinrich  Botel;  Biju  and 
Alcindor,  Carl  Miihe;  Marquis  von  Corey.  Eduard  Elsbach; 
Madelaine  and  Frau  von  Latour,  Selma  Kronold. 

Wednesday,  Second. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  First  subscription  night 
of  the  fourth  season  of  opera  in  German.  Wagner's  ' '  Tristan 
und  Isolde."  Cast:  Tristan,  Albert  Niemann;  Isolde,  Lilli 
Lehmann;  Konig  Marke,  Emil  Fischer;  Brangdne,  Marianne 
Brandt ;  Kurwenal,  Adolf  Robinson ;  Melot,  Rudolph  von 
Milde ;  Hirt,  Otto  I^emlitz ;  Seemann,  Max  Alvary ;  Steuermann, 
Emil  Sanger.  Conductor,  Herr  Anton  Seidl. 

Thursday,  Third. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
first  organ  recital  (first  of  the  season).  Prelude  and  Fugue, 
D  minor  (Book  III,  No.  4),  J.  S.  Bach;  Adagio,  from  the 
Fourth  Symphony,  Beethoven  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best) ;  So- 
nata, C  minor,  No.  5,  op.  50,  S.  de  Lange;  "  Ave  Maria," 
op.  5,  No.  4,  Adolph  Henselt;  Marche  Triomphale,  E-flat, 
op.  7,  No.  i,  Henri  Deshayes;  Gavotte,  G  minor,  op.  37, 
No.  i,  A.  Dupont  (transcribed  by  W.  J.  Westbrook) ;  Postlude, 
E-flat,  Henry  Smart. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Martha." 

(12) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

Friday,  Fourth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Die  Meistersinger."  Cast:  Hans  Sachs,  Herr  Fischer; 
Veit  Pogner,  Herr  Elmblad;  Kunz  Vogelgesang,  Herr  Cook; 
Konrad  Nachtigal,  Herr  Sanger ;  Sixtus  Beckmesser,  Herr  Kem- 
litz;  Fritz  Kothner,  Herr  Von  Milde;  Balthazar  Zorn,  Herr 
Hoppe;  Ulrich  Eisslinger,  Herr  Gottich;  Augustus  Moser,  Herr 
Verworner;  Herman  Ortel,  Herr  Dorfler;  Hans  Schwarz,  Herr 
Eiserbeck ;  Hans  Foltz,  Herr  Dore ;  Walther  von  Stolzing,  Herr 
Alvary ;  David,  Herr  Ferenczy ;  Eva,  Frau  Seidl-Kraus ;  Mag- 
dalena,  Fraulein  Brandt ;  Nachtwachter,  Herr  Sanger.  Conduc- 
tor, Herr  Anton  Seidl. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Teresina  Tua's  fourth  violin  recital. 
Ballade,  No.  2,  Liszt  (Edwin  Klahre);  Concerto,  De  Beriot; 
Songs:  "  Sonntag  am  Rhein,"  and  "  Wanderlied,"  Schumann 
(Max  Heinrich);  Air  Varie,  Vieuxtemps ;  ' '  Kamenoi-Ostrow, " 
No.  22,  Rubinstein,  and  Scherzo,  B-flat  minor,  Chopin  (Mr. 
Klahre) ;  Songs:  "  Der  Neugierige,"  and  "  Ungeduld,"  Schu- 
bert (Mr.  Heinrich)  ;  "  Faust  Fantaisie,"  Wieniawski. 

Saturday,  Fifth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Beet- 
hoven's "Fidelio."  Cast:  Pizarro,  Herr  Alexi;  Rocco,  Herr 
Fischer;  Minister,  Herr  von  Milde;  Leonore,  Fraulein  Leh- 
mann ;  Florestan,  Herr  Niemann ;  Marcellina,  Fraulein  Dilthey ; 
Jaquino,  Herr  Kemlitz.  Conductor,  Herr  Anton  Seidl. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Teresina  Tua's  third  matinee.  Suite, 
"Aus  Holberg's  Zeit,"  Grieg  (Edwin  Klahre);  Ballad  and 
Polonaise,  Vieuxtemps;  Songs:  "Aufenthalt"  and  "  Stand- 
chen,"  Schubert  (Max  Heinrich);  "Am  Loreley  Fels,"  Raff, 
and  Etude,  D-flat,  Liszt  (Mr.  Klahre) ;  Adagio,  Bruch ;  Ma- 
zourka,  Zarzycki;  Songs:  "  Im  wunderschonen  Monat  Mai," 
and  ' '  Die  alten  bosen  Lieder, "  Schumann  (Mr.  Heinrich) ; 
Polonaise,  A-flat  major,  Chopin  (Mr.  Klahre);  "Souvenir  de 
Moscou,"  Wieniawski. 


November.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fortieth  organ  recital. 
(In  commemoration  of  Mendelssohn  obiit  November  5,  1847.) 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  E  minor  (Book  II,  Novello's  edition),  J.  S. 
Bach ;  Elegie,  C  minor,  Lemaigre ;  Old  German  Song,  ' '  Es  ist 
in  den  Wald  gesungen,"  Mendelssohn  (arranged  by  S.  P. 
Warren);  "A  Twilight  Picture,"  D-flat,  Harry  Rowe  Shelley; 
Wedding  March  and  Nocturne,  Mendelssohn ;  Rhapsodic,  No. 
i  (on  a  Breton  melody),  Saint-Saens;  Adagio,  D  major,  op.  13, 
No.  i,  Otto  Dienel;  Sonata,  No.  6,  D  minor,  Mendelssohn. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  tenth  season, 
of  the  New  York  Symphony  Society.  Overture  "Hositzka," 
Dvorak;  First  three  movements  from  the  Concerto  Sympho- 
nique,  D  minor,  Litolff  (M.  Camille  Gurickx) ;  Ballet  Music 
from  "Idomeneo,"  Mozart;  Songs:  "Gruppe  aus  dem  Tar- 
tarus," Schubert,  and  "Die  beiden  Grenadiere,"  Schumann 
(Herr  Johannes  Elmblad) ;  Symphony  No.  5,  C  minor,  op.  67, 
Beethoven.  Conductor,  Mr.  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

STANDARD  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  First  representation  of  "  Dorothy," 
book  by  B.  C.  Stephenson,  music  by  Alfred  Cellier.  Cast : 
Squire  Bantam,  William  Hamilton;  Geoffrey  Wilder,  Eugene 
Oudin ;  Harry  Sherwood,  John  Brand ;  John  Tuppitt,  F.  Boudi- 
not;  Lurcher,  Harry  Paulton;  Tom  Strutt,}.  E.  Nash;  Dorothy 
Bantam,  Lillian  Russell;  Lydia  Hawthorne,  Agnes  Stone; 
Mrs.  Privett,  Rosa  Leighton ;  Phyllis,  M.  Halton.  Conductor, 
Signer  A.  de  Novellis. 

Messrs.  Stephenson  and  Cellier  call  their  "  Dorothy  "  a  "comedy- 
opera."  Why  they  do  so  I  do  not  know;  but  they  have  proved 
themselves  clever  enough  to  entitle  them  to  the  presumption  that  it 
was  because  they  were  unwilling  to  contribute  to  the  confusion  of 
terms  and  ignoring  of  exact  definitions,  which  for  several  years  past 
have  been  associated  with  the  production  of  works  belonging  to  the 
category  which  embraces  "  Dorothy."  There  seems  to  be  an  antip- 
athy ,on  the  part  of  English-speaking  people  to  the  thoroughly 
wholesome  and  respectable  title  of  operetta,  and  so  composers, 
managers,  and  reviewers  have  conspired  together  to  rob  the  French 
opera  comique  of  the  dignity  which  attaches  to  its  name,  just  as 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \November. 

Offenbach,  when  he  decked  out  his  mongrel  invention,  despoiled 
the  time-honored  Italian  opera  buffa.  Whether  Messrs.  Stephenson 
and  Cellier  have  bettered  matters  much  by  compounding  the  word 
"comedy-opera"  I  shall  not  stop  to  discuss.  Perhaps  they  have 
thereby  escaped  some  of  the  rigors  of  criticism,  and  as  the  latter 
should  not  be  permitted  to  weigh  heavily  on  a  production  which, 
after  all,  is  designed  only  to  make  an  evening  pass  pleasantly,  their 
objects  and  the  degree  in  which  they  have  attained  them  should  not 
be  scrutinized  too  closely.  Let  it  suffice  that  they  have  not  out- 
raged musical  terminology,  and  have  provided  a  pleasantly  diverting 
entertainment  in  which,  though  the  lines  of  a  plot  are  only  visible 
through  a  glass  darkly,  there  are  some  clever  and  "singable" 
verses,  some  pretty  rustic  scenes  and  some  tuneful  music.  To  dis- 
pose of  the  latter  element  at  once  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  far  from 
pretentious  in  style,  being  generally  of  the  light  English  ballad  type, 
with  an  occasional  happy  infusion  of  dance  rhythms  which  impart 
just  about  energy  enough  to  enable  it  to  escape  the  stagnation  which 
is  the  chief  defect  in  the  book.  A  drinking  song  in  the  first  act, 
and  a  hunting  song  in  the  finale  of  the  second  are,  perhaps,  the  most 
vivacious  and  pleasing  members,  and  they  have  the  additional  merit 
of  bringing  with  them  an  invigorating  whiff  of  English  air  which  is 
appropriate  to  the  theatre  of  the  play. 

It  would  be  worth  a  good  deal  to  ' '  Dorothy  "  if  as  much  as  this 
modest  praise  could  be  honestly  spoken  of  the  book.  Mr.  Stephen- 
son  is  ingenious  enough  in  inventing  rhymes  and  metres,  as  the 
following  specimen  (the  best  by  odds  in  the  book)  will  show. 
It  is  a  verse  from  the  introductory  song  of  a  bailiff: 

Attorney's  bills  do  not  decrease 

In  size  by  contemplation  ; 
And  arguing  does  not  release 

A  debtor  s  obligation. 
You  surely  would  not  let  me  see 

A  man  in  your  position 
Object  to  pay  a  little  fee 

Or  cavil  at  addition  ; 
A  six  and  eightpence  less  or  more 

You  really  must  not  grudge,  sir  ; 
And  two  and  two  make  more  than  four 

When  ordered  by  a  judge,  sir. 

This  is  clever,  and  if  the  man  who  wrote  it  had  constructive 
ability  he  would  be  a  good  builder  of  the  verbal  scaffolds  of  musical 

(15) 


Noiwnbcr. ]  THK  MUSICAL  SKASON  1887-1888. 

comedies.  But  here  Mr.  Stephenson  is  deficient.  His  first  act 
is  light-hearted,  sunshiny  and  vivacious,  but  it  is  little  else  than 
a  succession  of  entrance  scenes  of  the  characters.  When  he  comes 
to  develop  the  story,  if  ' '  Dorothy "  can  be  said  to  have  such 
a  property,  he  fails.  It  is  most  distressingly  obvious  in  the  second 
act,  which  is  made  over  the  same  last  that  served  Mr.  Paulton 
in  "Erminie,"  that  the  librettist  is  hopelessly  at  sea,  and  when 
Mr.  Paulton  essayed  to  play  the  pilot  he  only  made  matters  worse. 
The  act  requires  vigorous  pruning,  not  in  the  expectation  that 
thereby  it  will  be  brought  within  the  bounds  of  reason  (such  would 
be  a  hopeless  endeavor),  but  merely  to  enable  the  patience  of  the 
audience  to  endure  to  the  end  of  the  play. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  P-  rn.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Der  Postilion  von  Lonjumeau." 

Monday,  Sei  vv//// . 

METRPOLIIAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  German  opera.  Wagner's  "  Tann- 
hauser."  Cast:  Landgraf,  Herr  Elmblad;  Tannhauser,  Herr 
Niemann ;  Wolfram,  Herr  Alexi ;  Walther,  Herr  Alvary ; 
Biterolf,  Herr  von  Milde;  Heinrich,  Herr  Kemlitz;  Reinmar. 
Herr  Sanger;  Elizabeth,  Frau  Seidl-Kraus;  Venus,  Frau  Biro 
de  Marion;  Ein  junger  Hirt,  Fraulein  Dilthey.  Conductor, 
Herr  Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Der  Postilion." 

Tuesday,  Eighth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  First  Sym- 
phony concert.  Overture, ' '  Coriolan, "  Beethoven ;  Symphony , 
No.  7,  A  major,  op.  92,  Beethoven;  Concerto,  No.  i,  E  minor, 
op.  1 1 ,  Chopin  (arrangement  and  orchestration  by  Tausig ; 
played  by  Rafael  Joseffy) ;  introduction  and  closing  scene  from 
"Tristan  und  Isolde,"  Wagner;  "Kaisermarsch,"  Wagner. 
Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 


(16) 


THK  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \Noveinbfi. 

]\'fdnc$da\,  Ninth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  First 
representation  in  America  of  Wagner's  "Siegfried."  Cast: 
Siegfried.  Herr  Max  Alvary;  Mitne,  Herr  Ferenczy;  Wotati- 
ll'aiiderer,  Herr  Emil  Fischer;  Alberich,  Herr  Rudolph  von 
Milde:  Fafncr,  Herr  Johannes  Elmblad;  Erda,  Fraulein  Mari- 
anne Brandt ;  Briinnhilde,  Fraulein  Lilli  Lehmann ;  Stimme  des 
H'aldi'ogels,  Frau  Seidl-Kraus.  Conductor,  Herr  Anton  Seidl. 

The  production  of  Wagner's  "Siegfried"  was  an  invitation  to 
the  public  of  New  York  to  take  the  longest  and  most  decisive  step 
away  from  the  ordinary  conventions  of  the  lyric  theatre  that  had 
been  asked  of  them.  What  the  ultimate  response  to  the  invitation 
would  be  it  would  have  been  foolishly  presumptuous  to  attempt 
to  predict ;  but  the  favor  with  which  ' '  Tristan  und  Isolde "  was 
received  last  season  was  unquestionably  sincere,  and  the  same 
promptings  placed  the  public  in  an  attitude  toward  the  new  drama 
which  made  its  appreciation  easy  and  its  acceptance  genuine  and 
heart}'.  Vet  the  difference  between  the  ordinary  opera  and  "Tris- 
tan und  Isolde"  is  not  so  great  as  between  it  and  "Siegfried," 
notwithstanding  that  in  the  love  tragedy  Wagner  took  as  uncom- 
promising a  stand  as  ever  did  a  Greek  poet,  and  hewed  to  the  lines 
of  his  theoretical  scheme  with  unswerving  fidelity.  In  the  subject 
matter  lies  the  distinction.  In  spite  of  the  absence  of  that  ethical 
element  which  places  "  Tannhauser"  immeasurably  above  "Tris- 
tan "  as  a  dramatic  poem,  the  latter  drama  contains  an  expression 
of  the  universal  passion  which  is  so  vehement,  so  truthful,  and  so 
sublime  that  it  seems  strange  anybody  susceptible  to  music  and 
gifted  with  emotions  should  be  deaf  to  its  beauties  or  callous  to  its 
appeals.  Besides  this,  the  sympathies  are  stirred  in  behalf  of  the 
personages,  who,  after  all,  stand  as  representatives  of  human  nature, 
and  though  the  cooperation  of  the  chorus  is  restricted  to  a  single 
act,  the  dramatic  necessity  of  the  restriction  is  so  obvious  that  an 
audience  once  engrossed  in  the  work  could  do  naught  else  than  to 
resent  such  a  violation  of  propriety  as  the  introduction  of  a  chorus 
in  any  but  the  first  scene  would  be.  In  "  Siegfried,"  however, 
the  case  is  not  so  plain.  Here  there  is  not  only  no  chorus,  but 
scarcel  more  than  five  minutes  in  which  even  two  solo  voices  are 


\,irenib(r.}  THE  MUSICAL  SKASOX  1887-1888. 

united.  The  personages  of  the  play,  with  two  exceptions,  the  hero 
and  Brijnnhilde,  have  no  claim  upon  human  sympathy,  and  their 
actions  can  scarcely  arouse  a  loftier  feeling  than  curiosity.  Through 
two  acts  and  a  portion  of  the  third  the  music  of  woman's  voice 
(save  in  a  dozen  or  more  measures)  and  the  charm  of  woman's 
presence  are  absent  from  the  stage,  and  instead  we  are  asked  to 
accept  a  bear,  a  dragon,  and  a  bird,  a  sublimely  solemn  peripatetic 
god  and  two  dwarfs,  repulsive  in  mind  and  hideous  of  body.  The 
exchange  seems  anything  but  fair. 

These  are  the  drawbacks  concerning  which  there  can  be  no 
controversy;  their  enumeration  involves  questions  of  fact  (which 
no  one  would  put)  and  not  questions  of  taste.  To  them,  as  falling 
perhaps  under  the  latter  category,  are  to  be  added  the  difficulties 
which  result  from  an  effort  to  employ  in  a  serious  drama  mechan- 
ical devices  of  a  kind  that  custom  associates  only  with  children's 
pantomimes  and  idle  spectacles.  A  bear  is  brought  in  to  frighten 
a  dwarf;  a  dragon  sings,  vomits  forth  steam  from  his  cavernous 
jaws,  fights  and  dies  with  a  kindly  and  prophetic  warning  to  his 
slayer;  and  a  bird  becomes  endowed  with  the  gift  of  articulate 
speech  through  a  miraculous  process,  which  takes  place  in  another 
of  the  personages  of  the  play. 

I  have  thus  suggested  at  the  outset  most  of  the  grounds  on 
which  criticisms  of  "Siegfried"  might  be  based  from  the  conven- 
tional as  well  as  universal  point  of  view.  To  close  one's  mind 
to  the  force  of  objections  which  can  be  urged  against  the  work  is 
a  species  of  folly  which,  fortunately  for  the  cause  of  art,  is 
practiced  by  but  few  of  those  who  sit  in  the  seats  of  judgment  in 
this  country.  But  the  purpose  of  my  proceeding  was  not  to  lay  a 
foundation  for  disparagement,  but  rather  in  order  that  the  resolution 
of  the  discord  might  heighten  appreciation  of  the  beauty  of  the 
poet-composer's  creation.  For  "Siegfried,"  in  spite  of  defects,  is  a 
strangely  beautiful  and  impressive  creation,  which,  under  trying 
circumstances,  challenged  the  plaudits  of  an  audience  that,  it  may 
be  imagined,  found  all  the  obstructions  of  convention  which  I 
have  mentioned  lying  between  its  appreciation  and  Wagner's 
work.  The  plaudits  were  a  deserved  token  of  recognition  of  the 
splendid  interpretation  which  it  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
Metropolitan  company.  Few  of  those  who  are  familiar  with 

(18) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \November. 

European  performances  of  "The  Ring  of  the  Niblung"  since  it 
was  withdrawn  from  the  Bayreuth  festivals  were  inclined  to  insti- 
tute comparisons  injurious  to  the  Metropolitan  representation.  The 
tetralogy  is  the  loftiest  achievement  each  year  of  the  Court  Opera 
at  Dresden,  which  is  ambitious  to  become  a  sort  of  minor  Wagner- 
ian  Mecca.  Now  the  scenic  outfit  of  "Siegfried"  at  the  Metropol- 
itan Opera  House  is  in  some  particulars  finer  than  at  the  Saxon 
capital,  while  the  singers  are  equally  good,  to  say  the  least.  It  is 
only  in  stage  management  that  the  Dresden  representations  surpass 
the  performance  on  this  occasion,  the  most  striking  discrepancy 
being  in  the  treatment  of  light  effects — a  mechanical  detail  in 
which  American  theatres  are  many  years  behind  the  theatres  of 
continental  Europe. 

It  was  the  story  of  the  mythical  German  hero,  Siegfried,  which 
aroused  in  Wagner  the  impulse  that  produced  "The  Ring  of  the 
Niblung."  The  story  was  a  familiar  one  to  German  dramatic 
literature,  and  Wagner's  first  purpose  was  not  unlike  that  of  several 
of  his  predecessors.  It  was  his  study  of  the  union  between  the 
mediaeval  German  epic  and  the  tales  of  Norse  mythology,  doubtless, 
that  persuaded  him  to  attempt  the  task  of  blending  their  leading 
features  into  one  continuous  work  after  the  manner  of  the  Greek 
tragic  poets.  The  incidents  in  "Siegfried"  are  nearly  all  found  in 
the  two  Eddas  and  the  prose  paraphrase  of  the  Elder  Edda,  known 
as  the  Volsunga  Saga.  Wagner  draws  his  people  and  his  magic 
apparatus  from  this  source,  though  he  uses  a  poet's  license  in  handling 
them.  In  the  Scandinavian  story  Sigurd  is  brought  up  at  the 
Frankish  Court  of  King  Hjalprek  by  Regin,  a  dwarf,  son  of  Hreid- 
mar,  who  had  exacted  a  ransom  from  Odin,  Loki,  and  Hoenir  for 
the  killing  of  his  son  Otter.  The  ransom  included  a  ring,  which 
Andvari,  from  whom  Loki  obtained  the  gold,  cursed  when  he  was 
robbed  of  it.  Odin  was  obliged  to  surrender  the  ring  to  Hreidmar, 
on  whom  the  curse  first  fell.  His  sons  Fafnir  and  Regin  demanded 
of  him  a  share  of  the  treasure  and  were  refused.  Thereupon  Fafnir 
killed  Hreidmar  in  his  sleep  and  took  the  gold.  Regin  then  asked 
for  his  half  of  the  inheritance,  but  Fafnir  frightened  him  away  with 
threats  of  death,  and  transforming  himself  into  a  dragon  stood  guard 
over  his  treasure.  Regin  came  to  the  Court  of  King  Hjalprek 
while  searching  for  a  hero  able  to  kill  Fafnir,  and  his  choice  fell  on 

(19) 


N<nte.mber.~\  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

young  Sigurd,  to  whom  he  told  the  story  of  the  dragon's  hoard. 
After  providing  him  with  a  horse  and  welding  together  for  him  the 
broken  pieces  of  the  sword  Gram,  which  had  been  given  to  Sigurd's 
father  by  Odin,  Regin  sent  the  young  hero  out  on  his  adventures. 
Sigurd  found  the  dragon  and  slew  him  by  thrusting  the  sword  into 
him  from  a  pit  which  he  had  dug  under  the  monster.  While  dying 
Fafnir  warned  Sigurd  against  Regin,  and  informed  him  of  the  curse 
resting  on  the  ring.  Regin  came  on  the  scene  after  the  death 
of  Fafnir,  and  set  Sigurd  to  roasting  the  dragon's  heart  for  him. 
Sigurd  burned  his  finger  on  the  crepitating  heart  and  thrust  it  into 
his  mouth  to  alleviate  the  pain.  Directly  the  juice  from  the  heart 
touched  Sigurd's  lips  he  understood  the  voice  of  the  birds,  and 
from  the  gossipy  cries  of  some  eagles  he  learned  of  Regin's  wicked 
purposes.  The  eagles  told  him  to  kill  Regin,  and  he  did  so.  Then 
he  drank  of  the  blood  of  the  strange  brothers  and  listened  again  to 
the  eagles.  This  time  they  told  him  of  a  maiden  whom  Odin  had 
stung  with  a  sleep-thorn,  and  who  slumbered  in  a  hall  on  high  Hin- 
darfiall,  surrounded  with  fire.  Thither  Sigurd  went,  penetrated  the 
barrier  of  fire,  found  Brynhild,  whom  he  thought  to  be  a  knight, 
until  he  had  ripped  up  her  coat  of  mail  with  his  sword,  and  awak- 
ened her.  Learning  the  name  of  her  deliverer,  Brynhild  cried  out, 
"  Hail  to  thee,  day,  and  hail  to  you,  ye  sons  of  day !  Hail  to  thee, 
night,  and  hail  to  thee,  daughter  of  night!  Look  upon  us  with 
friendly  eyes  and  give  us  victory !  Hail  to  you,  ye  gods  and  god- 
desses, and  hail  to  thee,  nourishing  earth !  Give  us  wisdom,  fair 
words  and  healing  hands  while  we  live!" 

This  is  an  outline  of  the  original  form  of  so  much  of  the  myth 
as  Wagner  utilized  in  the  second  drama  of  his  tetralogy.  Odin 
(Wotan),  Sigurd  (Siegfried),  Fafnir  (Fafner,  the  dragon),  and  Bryn- 
hild (Brunnhilde) ,  are  all  carried  over  into  the  lyric  drama  with  only 
a  slight  transliteration  of  their  names.  Regin  becomes  Mime,  and 
transfers  his  fraternal  relationship  from  Fafner  to  Alberich,  who  is 
the  Andvari  of  the  Eddas.  The  brief  exposition  of  the  primitive 
legend  will  help  to  an  understanding  of  Wagner's  plot,  and  at  the 
same  time  give  an  insight  into  his  poetical  methods,  and  reveal  his 
skill  as  a  dramatist.  This  skill  has  made  a  most  striking  and 
effective  scene  for  the  opening  of  the  drama.  Mime  sits  in  a  cavern 
smithy  working  on  a  sword  for  the  young  hero  whom  he  had  found 

(20) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {November. 

a  new-born  babe  in  a  cave  beside  his  dying  mother.  He  had 
brought  him  up  in  the  hope  of  using  him  to  the  destruction  of  the 
giant  Fafner,  who  guarded  the  Niblung  hoard  in  the  shape  of  a 
dragon.  He  pounds  rhythmically  on  the  anvil  and  finishes  a  blade 
just  as  Siegfried  comes  storming  in,  leading  a  bear  which  he  sets 
upon  the  dwarf  to  frighten  him.  Tiring  of  this  amusement  he 
sends  the  bear  back  into  the  forest  and  asks  for  the  sword.  It  is 
given  him,  but  he  breaks  it  like  a  pipe-stem  as  he  had  broken  many 
before.  He  demands  to  know  his  history  and  refuses  to  believe 
Mime's  tale  that  he  is  both  his  father  and  his  mother.  He  had 
learned  in  the  forest  that  birds  and  beasts  go  in  pairs ;  that  they 
show  affection;  that  the  offspring  resembles  the  parent;  and  the 
reflection  of  his  own  features  in  the  brook  had  revealed  to  him  that 
he  bore  no  resemblance  to  the  foster-father  whom  he  detests.  At 
last  he  learns  the  truth,  and  also  that  the  fragments  of  his  father's 
sword,  shivered  on  Wotan's  spear  in  the  battle  with  Hunding,  had 
been  found  with  him.  He  demands  that  they  be  welded  together, 
and  dashes  impetuously  as  ever  into  the  forest.  This  entire  scene 
is  a  masterpiece  of  construction.  The  boorish  manners  of  the 
youthful  hero  have  disturbed  some  gentle-souled  critics,  but  since 
Siegfried  is  merely  the  vehicle  of  fate,  the  vessel  through  which 
Wotari 's  designs  are  to  be  carried  out  free  from  all  influence  from 
the  god,  and  is  placed  in  a  mythical  period  wherein  even  the  actions 
of  the  gods  cannot  stand  the  test  of  the  earliest  forms  of  historical 
morality,  the  objections  to  Siegfried  on  the  score  that  he  abuses  the 
man  to  whom  he  owed  his  life  do  not  have  much  weight.  Mime 
was  not  prompted  by  affection  to  bring  up  the  hero,  but  by  self- 
interest.  A  much  more  serious  thing  it  is  that  Siegfried's  indecorous 
antics  carry  him  dangerously  near  the  line  of  the  ridiculous.  This 
is  a  criticism,  indeed,  which  applies  to  several  scenes  in  the  drama. 
In  the  fight  between  the  dragon  and  Siegfried  the  short  step  which 
is  said  to  lie  between  the  sublime  and  the  ridiculous  is  surely  taken, 
and  it  takes  a  great  effort  to  remain  in  the  profoundly  poetical  mood 
into  which  the  scene  immediately  preceding  has  lifted  the  fancy. 
The  trial  is  not  so  severe  in  the  forest  scene,  where  the  marvelous 
vivacity  and  energy  of  the  music,  when  Siegfried  speaks  of  his  long- 
ings for  action,  and  its  brooding  tenderness  when  he  speaks  of  his 
parents,  chain  the  attention  so  that  one  becomes  indifferent  to 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

outward  behavior.  It  is  the  impetuous  nature  of  the  young  hero, 
the  typical  German  with  his  contempt  for  dissimulation  and 
hypocrisy,  his  rough,  straightforward  energy,  which  is  likely  at  any 
moment  to  come  crashing  through  the  veneers  of  social  conven- 
tions, that  is  published  in  this  music,  and  it  is  as  refreshing  as  a 
lusty  breeze  through  a  pine  forest.  Somebody  once  described 
Haydn's  ingenuous  music  as  "  out-doorsy,"  and  the  designation  is 
not  so  inapt ;  but  for  music  that  is  redolent  of  the  forest,  that  voices 
the  romanticism  lurking  under  gnarled  and  tangled  boughs,  in 
hollow  trees  and  haunted  caves,  we  must  go  to  "Siegfried." 

I  have  gotten  away  from  the  thread  of  the  story,  and  must  sacri- 
fice much  of  the  recital  in  order  to  have  time  and  space  to  devote 
to  some  of  the  details  of  Wagner's  drama.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to 
recount  all  the  episodes  of  the  play.  Mime  cannot  remake  Wotari s 
magic  sword,  but  learns  that  it  will  again  become  whole  under  the 
hands  of  a  hero  who  knows  not  fear.  The  scene  in  which  he  learns 
this  fact  is  one  of  those  which,  in  spite  of  the  sublime  music  that 
accompanies  Wotan  (who  appears  in  the  character  of  a  Wanderer), 
subjects  the  patience  of  the  audience  to  a  severe  test.  Wotan  enters 
Mime's  smithy,  a  most  unwelcome  guest,  and  there  ensues  a  dialogue 
of  the  kind  which  would  better  have  been  left  to  the  Norse  epics 
from  which  it  is  borrowed.  The  two  propound  riddles  to  each  other 
for  a  stake  which  is  nothing  less  than  the  head  of  him  who  is  called 
on  to  answer.  In  the  answers  is  contained  an  epitome  of  the 
contents  of  the  preceding  dramas.  There  are  profound  beauties 
in  the  scene,  but  the  strain  which  it  puts  upon  the  nerves  is  intense, 
and  further  curtailments  would  be  commendable  at  performances 
in  America  where  a  large  proportion  of  the  audience  is  unfamiliar 
with  the  German  language.  Mysteriousness  and  solemnity  depart 
with  Wotan,  and  a  buoyant  joyousness  comes  back  with  Siegfried, 
who  now  himself  undertakes  the  task  of  forging  a  new  sword  out 
of  the  sherds  of  Nothing.  This  he  accomplishes  while  Mime  perfects 
a  scheme  to  lead  the  hero  with  his  magic  sword  to  Fafner  and  have 
him  kill  the  dragon.  Then  when  Siegfried  has  taken  the  treasure 
he,  Mime,  will  put  him  to  sleep  with  a  poisoned  broth  and  kill  him 
with  the  sword  as  he  sleeps.  The  songs  of  Siegfried  while  he  is  at 
work  have  been  heard  in  our  concert  rooms,  but  without  their  scenic 
accompaniment  they  lose  much  of  their  power  and  beauty.  Wagner's 

(22) 


THK  MUSICAL  SKASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

musical  realism  is  quite  as  vivid  as  his  scenic,  though  it  is  pervaded 
with  a  spirit  which  frequently,  if  not  always,  rescues  it  from  the 
fault  of  simple  materialistic  imitation  into  which  a  less  deeply 
poetical  composer  would  fall.  So  in  this  scene  which  marks  the 
culmination  and  the  end  of  the  first  act,  while  one  may  hear  the 
heaving  of  the  bellows,  the  blazing  of  the  fire,  the  blows  on  the 
anvil  (actually  made  by  the  performer  and  adapted  to  a  rhythm 
which  plays  a  great  part  throughout  the  score),  the  cutting  of  the 
file's  teeth  into  the  hard  metal  and  the  hissing  and  spluttering  which 
follow  the  plunging  of  the  hot  blade  into  the  water,  these  features 
must  yet  be  looked  upon  as  only  the  dartings  and  flashings  and 
eddy  ings  on  the  surface  of  the  symphonic  stream  that  flows  through 
the  orchestra,  and  in  its  depths  is  concerned  with  the  fundamental 
things  of  the  drama.  Here  Siegfried  again,  though  he  has  become 
a  smith  and  allied  himself  with  the  musical  figure  which  thitherto 
had  belonged  to  the  Niblungs,  has  other  strains  in  which  to  give  out 
the  dauntless  energy  and  the  new  hopes  that  fill  him,  while  as  he 
swings  the  reconstructed  Nothung  in  the  air  and  fetches  the  anvil 
a  blow  that  splits  it  from  top  to  bottom,  the  sword  fanfare,  which 
appeared  dismembered  in  the  score  of  "Die  Walkure,"  when 
Briinnhilde  gathered  up  the  fragments  of  the  sword  after  the  battle 
in  the  clouds,  flashes  forth  in  a  most  triumphant  setting. 

Each  act  of  "Siegfried"  has  a  prelude  which  prepares  one  for 
the  scenes  that  are  to  follow,  and  with  wonderful  potency  conjures 
up  the  mood  that  is  best  adapted  to  receive  them.  Before  the  first 
act  it  was  the  rhythm  of  the  smithy  which  held  the  ear  a  prisoner. 
Before  the  second  it  is  the  grotesque  picture  in  music  of  the  dragon. 
The  gigantic  steps  of  the  monster  to  those  familiar  with  the  score 
of  "Das  Rheingold"  identify  him  at  once  with  the  giants  who  built 
Walhalla  and  took  the  Niblung  hoard  in  pay.  I  cite  this  as  a  simple 
instance  of  Wagner's  methods,  and  to  direct  attention  to  the  fact  that 
his  purposes  were  deeper  than  mere  tone-painting.  After  a  scene 
of  no  particular  moment  between  Wotan  and  Alberich,  the  most 
naively  poetical  and  lovely  scene  in  the  whole  tetralogy  is  reached. 
Siegfried  throws  himself  on  a  hillock  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  and  listens 
to  nature's  music  in  the  forest.  As  an  excerpt  for  concert  purposes 
the  music  of  a  portion  of  the  scene  was  familiar,  but  those  who  hear 
it  for  the  first  time  in  connection  with  the  drama  must  marvel  at  the 

(23) 


Xwember.}  'I'm.   MUSICAL  SKASON  1887-1888. 

difference  in  effect  caused  by  the  stage  picture.  Siegfried  is  brooding 
over  the  mystery  of  his  childhood,  and  he  utters  his  thoughts  in 
tender  phrases,  while  soft-voiced  instruments  in  the  orchestra  identify 
those  with  whom  his  mind  is  concerned.  Suddenly  the  sunlight 
begins  to  flicker  along  the  leafy  canopy,  a  thousand  indistinct  voices 
are  heard  in  that  indefinable  yet  musical  hum  of  which,  when  heard 
in  reality  and  not  through  the  musician's  creation,  one  is  at  a  loss 
to  tell  how  much  is  actual  and  how  much  the  product  of  imagination, 
both  sense  and  fancy  having  been  miraculously  quickened  by  the 
spirit  which  moves  through  the  trees.  At  last  all  is  vocal,  and 
Siegfried,  who  shows  himself  susceptible  to  the  very  influence  that 
I  have  been  attempting  to  describe,  finds  himself  longing  to  under- 
stand a  bird  that  sings  overhead.  Might  he  not,  if  he  could  reproduce 
its  sounds?  He  cuts  a  reed,  fashions  it  into  a  pipe  and  makes  the 
experiment.  In  vain.  He  throws  the  reed  away  and  essays  a  merry 
tune  on  his  hunting  horn.  It  is  his  own  characteristic  horn-call 
which  he  expands  into  a  joyous  fanfare — the  same  phrase  which, 
given  out  with  tremendous  breadth,  forms  the  climax  of  his  funeral 
march  in  "  Die  Gotterdammerung."  To  this  he  adds  the  melody 
which,  in  Wotan's  farewell  to  Briinnhilde  ("Die  Walkiire"),  is  a 
prophetic  symbol  of  the  future  heroic  Siegfried.  The  melodious 
freshness  and  poetical  ingenuousness  of  the  scene  cannot  be  described 
in  words.  I  have  been  forced  by  the  attempt  into  a  bit  of  analysis, 
a  result  which  is  in  nothing  so  fatal  to  the  aims  of  a  critic  as  in  music. 
I  pass  over  the  battle  with  the  dragon,  which  (in  spite  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  machine  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House)  is  only 
diverting  and  not  at  all  impressive.  In  place  of  the  roasting  heart 
Wagner  has  a  stream  of  blood  which  is  supposed  to  follow  the  with- 
drawal of  the  sword  from  the  monster's  body.  A  drop  falls  upon 
Siegfried's  finger  and  burns  him.  He  applies  the  spot  to  his  lips 
and  suddenly  the  piping  of  the  forest  bird  is  changed  into  human 
song.  The  melodious  phrases  that  played  through  the  forest  scene 
are  retained,  but  now  they  are  given  out  by  a  human  voice  and  in 
distinguishable  words  that  direct  Siegfried's  further  actions  as  the 
eagles  directed  Sigurd.  The  dramatic  problem  presented  by  this 
part  of  the  story  is  scarcely  solved  by  the  method  which  Wagner 
adopted,  for  it  was  not  the  bird's  voice  that  was  supposed  to  be 
changed  by  the  dragon's  blood,  but  Siegfried's  perceptions.  The 

(24) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

music  must  be  depended  upon  here,  as  in  other  places,  for  the 
justification.  A  similar  question  is  raised  by  the  ensuing  scene 
between  Siegfried  and  Mime,  in  which  Wagner  asks  the  representative 
of  the  latter  character  to  produce  the  illusion  in  the  mind  of  the 
public  that  the  dwarf  really  imagines  himself  to  be  saying  the 
opposite  of  what  his  lips  utter.  He  adopts  a  sycophantic  manner 
toward  Siegfried  and  babbles  away  his  wicked  plan,  getting  like  his 
Scandinavian  prototype  a  taste  of  the  fatal  sword  for  his  pains. 

Siegfried  follows  the  bird  to  the  rock  on  which  Bri'mnhilde  lies 
in  her  magic  sleep.  Wotan  attempts  to  bar  his  way,  for  the  god's 
plan  requires  that  his  instrument  in  the  restoration  of  the  accursed 
ring  to  the  original  guardian  of  the  hoard  shall  be  a  free  agent. 
Nothung  cuts  through  the  shaft  of  the  Allfather's  spear  and  the 
young  hero  hurries  up  the  ascent,  his  exuberant  horn-calls  blending 
with  the  familiar  music  of  the  closing  scene  in  "Die  Walkiire." 
Arrived  at  the  summit  of  the  rock,  he  finds  the  sleeping  maiden, 
loosens  her  armor,  kisses  her  into  consciousness,  and  receives  his 
reward  in  her  tumultuous  declaration  of  love.  The  scene  is  mag- 
nificently grand  from  the  moment  of  JBriinnhilde's  greeting  to  the 
sun;  Wagner  has  taken  advantage  of  the  fine  poetic  idea  indicated 
by  the  first  words  of  Brynhild  after  her  waking  in  the  Northern 
epic.  Concerning  the  torrent  of  passion  which  pours  through  this 
final  duet  I  need  say  nothing.  The  public  knows  what  to  expect 
when  Wagner  devotes  all  the  resources  of  his  genius  to  a  depiction 
of  frenetic  love. 

I  have  thus  far  devoted  my  remarks  chiefly  to  the  textual  and 
musical  contents  of  the  drama.  To  those  who  are  familiar  with 
Wagner's  unique  powers  as  a  stage  manager  they  suggest,  however, 
the  diversity,  truthfulness,  and  beauty  of  the  pictures  which  accom- 
pany them.  The  Metropolitan  management  followed  good  models, 
and  the  spectacle  in  the  first  act  was  as  excellent  as  can  be  found 
anywhere  in  Germany.  Herr  Alvary  had  made  a  careful  study  of 
his  part,  and  with  his  artistic  inherited  instinct  (he  is  a  son  of  the 
painter  Andreas  Achenbach)  found  all  its  picturesque  possibilities. 
He  gave  the  forging  scene  with  splendid  vigor  and  freedom  of 
movement,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  there  were  few  pulses  that  were  not 
quickened  as  their  owners  watched  the  darting  flames,  the  groaning 
bellows  and  the  dancing  sparks  that  leaped  from  the  anvil  at  every 

(25) 


November.}  THF.  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

blow  he  gave  it.  The  forest  scene  was  almost  as  effective  in  its 
way,  and  it  was  only  in  the  final  fire  scene  that  it  was  forced  upon 
the  attention  that  the  presentation  on  the  stage  fell  short  of  the 
delineation  in  the  orchestra.  The  phenomenon,  however,  is  not 
unusual  with  Wagner,  who  has  a  marvellous  faculty  of  juggling  with 
the  senses  and  making  the  ears  see  and  the  eyes  hear.  No  stage 
mechanism  has  yet  done  justice  to  the  music  in  the  final  scenes  of 
' '  Die  Walkure  "  and  ' '  Siegfried. "  A  pleasant  surprise  was  the  excel- 
lence of  Herr  Ferenczy's  impersonation  of  Mime — an  extremely 
difficult  character  to  portray  technically  as  well  as  intellectually. 
None  of  his  words  were  lost,  and  the  low  cunning  of  the  dwarf  had 
ample  expression  in  voice,  gesture  and  motion.  Herr  Fischer's 
Wanderer  was  splendidly  musical  and  dignified,  and  Herr  von 
Milde  did  as  much  as  was  possible  with  the  insignificant  part  which 
Alberich  has  to  play  in  this  division  of  the  tetralogy.  To  Fraulein 
Lehmann  it  was  reserved  to  fill  the  last  scene  with  a  musical  glory 
which  had  its  visual  counterpart  in  the  flood  of  light  which  filled  the 
stage  after  the  clouds  of  steam  and  canvas  and  gauze  which  con- 
cealed it  during  the  transformation  had  disappeared.  Her  apostro- 
phe to  the  sun  was  sung  with  thrilling  power,  while  the  struggle 
between  pride  and  dawning  love  had  most  eloquent  exposition. 
With  each  performance  of  a  really  dramatic  work  the  artistic  stature 
of  Fraulein  Lehmann  seems  to  grow,  and  to  those  who  can  appreciate 
the  deep  earnestness  of  her  efforts  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  she 
was  willing  to  sacrifice  her  assured  position  and  pension  in  Berlin 
for  the  sake  of  taking  up  a  phase  of  artistic  endeavor  for  which  she 
is  so  magnificently  equipped,  and  from  which  circumstances  debarred 
her  in  the  Prussian  capital.  Love,  knowledge,  devotion,  and  enthu- 
siasm were  the  mainsprings  of  Herr  Seidl's  efforts  as  conductor,  and 
the'  results  which  he  achieved  in  "Siegfried"  will  remain  as  firmly 
fixed  in  the  memory  of  music  lovers  in  New  York  as  his  brilliant 
accomplishments  in  "Tristan"  and  "Die  Meistersinger "  in  the  two 
preceding  seasons. 

THALIA  THEATRE.     8  p.  m.     German  opera.      Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Der  Postilion." 


(26) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {November. 

Thursday,  Tenth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
second  organ  recital.  Prelude  and  Fugue  in  C,  J.  L.  Krebs ; 
Adagio  from  the  Octet,  Mendelssohn  (arranged  by  George 
Cooper);  Sonata  in  C  minor,  No.  i,  op.  27,  Rheinberger; 
"Benediction  Nuptiale,"  F,  Saint-Saens;  Fugue  in  D,  op.  25, 
No.  3,  Guilmant;  Pastorale,  G,  H.  M.  Higgs;  Concert  Piece, 
C  minor,  No.  i,  Thiele. 

METROPOLITAN7  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Signor  Italo  Campanini's 
first  concert.  Overture,  "Aroldo,"  Verdi;  Aria  buffa  from 
"Cenerentola,"  Rossini  (Signor  Corsini) ;  Romanza,  "Spirito 
gentil,"  Donizetti  (Signor  Baldini) ;  Concerto  for  violin  in  E, 
Vieuxtemps  (Signora  Torricelli) ;  Romanza, "  O  casto  fior"  from 
"  Re  di  Lahore,"  Massenet  (Signor  Galassi);  Aria,  "Ah  quel 
giorno!"  Rossini  (Signora  Scalchi) ;  Cavatina,  "Salvi  dimora," 
Gounod  (Signor  Campanini);  Aria,  "Ella  giammai  m'amo," 
Verdi  (Signor  Nannetti);  Duet, "Si  la  stanchezza,"  Verdi  (Sig- 
nora Scalchi  and  Signor  Campanini) ;  Prelude,  "  La  Traviata, " 
Verdi;  Duet  from  "  Les  Pecheurs  de  Perles,"  Bizet  (Signor i 
Baldini  and  Galassi);  Love  Song  from  "  Die  Walkiire,"  Wagner 
(Signor  Campanini);  Aria, "Voce  di  Donna,"  Ponchielli  (Sig- 
nora Scalchi);  Romanza,  "Addio,  Mignon,"  Thomas  (Signor 
Baldini) :  Violin  Solos :  Rhapsodic  Hongroise,  Hauser,  and 
Bravura  Variations  on  "Mose"  for  G-string,  Paganini  (Signora 
Torricelli);  Duet  from  "I  Puritani,"  Bellini  (Signori  Nannetti 
and  Galassi);  Finale,  "Ernani,"  Verdi;  Festival  March, 
Gounod.  Conductor,  Alfredo  Gore. 

Friday,  Eleventh. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Sieg- 
fried." Conductor,  Herr  Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Der  Postilion." 


(27) 


Nwe.mber.~\  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Saturday,  Twelfth. 

STKINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  First  Young  People's  matinee.  "  Ra- 
koczy"  March,  Berlioz;  Overture,  "Leonora"  No.  i,  Beet- 
hoven; "Intermezzo,  op.  46,  Bargiel  (novelty);  Capriccio,  op. 
4,  Graedener;  Hungarian  Rhapsody,  No.  14,  Liszt;  Overture, 
"Lustspiel,"  Friedrich  Smetana  (novelty);  Variations  on  "  Ein' 
feste  Burg,"  Reinecke  (novelty);  Slavonic  Dances,  op.  72, 
Dvorak  (novelty);  Waltz,  "Artist's  Life,"  Strauss.  Conductor, 
Mr.  Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Signer  Campanini's  second  concert. 
Duet  from  "  Les  Pecheurs  de  Perles,"  Bizet  (Signori  Baldini 
and  Galassi);  Aria,  "Madamina,"  Mozart  (Signer  Nannetti) ; 
Variations  on  "Mose,"  Paganini,  and  Allegro,  Vieuxtemps 
(Signora  Torricelli);  Duet  from  "La  Favorita,''  Donizetti 
(Signora  Scalchi  and  Signer  Galassi) ;  Cavatina,  "  Salve  dimora," 
Gounod  (Signer  Campanini);  Aria  from  "A  Life  for  the  Czar," 
Glinka  (Signora  Scalchi);  Terzetto  from  "  L'ltaliana  in  Algieri," 
Rossini  (Signori  Nanetti,  Corsini,  and  Baldini) ;  Aria  from  ' '  Le 
Nozze  di  Figaro,"  Mozart  (Signer  Galassi);  Serenade,  "  Deh 
vieni  alia  finestra,"  Grieg  (Signer  Campanini);  Aria, "Voi  che 
sapete,"  Mozart  (Signora  Scalchi);  Violin  Solo,  "Zigeuner- 
weisen,"  Sarasate  (Signora  Torricelli);  Romanza, "  M'appari," 
Flotow  (Signer  Baldini) ;  Duet  from  "  I  Pescatori,"  Manzocchi 
(Signora  Scalchi  and  Signer  Nannetti) ;  Terzetto  from  ' '  Cris- 
pino,"  Ricci  (Signori  Nannetti,  Corsini  and  Galassi). 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Tann- 
hauser,"  Adolf  Robinson  as  Wolfram.  Conductor,  Herr  Anton 
Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-first  organ  recital. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  C  minor  (Book  II,  Novello's  edition), 
Bach ;  Processional  Wedding  March,  F  major,  H.  R.  Bird ; 
Cantabile,  B  major,  Cesar  Franck;  Trio,  "  Lift  thine  Eyes," 
Mendelssohn  (Miss  Anita  Mason,  Miss  Estelle  Hubbard,  and 
Miss  Fanny  McLeod) ;  Grand  Choeur  et  Priere,  D  major, 

(28) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

Henri  Ueshayes;  Andante  Cantabile,  B-flat,  Tscha'ikowsky 
(from  the  String  Quartet,  op.  u);  "  Albumblatter,"  op.  99, 
No.  5,  Schumann;  Trio,  "Twilight,"  Abt  (Misses  Mason,  Hub- 
bard,  and  McLeod) ;  Sonata,  G  minor,  Capocci. 

BROOKLYN  ACADEMY  OF  Music.  First  concert,  thirtieth  season,  of 
the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Symphony  No.  9,  C 
major,  Schubert;  Aria, " Che  faro,"  Gluck  (Madame  Helene 
Hastreiter) ;  Overture, "  Hositzka,"  Dvorak;  Song, "  Mignon, " 
Liszt  (Madame  Hastreiter) ;  Prelude,  "  Meistersinger,"  Wagner. 
Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

Monday,  Fourteenth. 

STEIN  WAY  HALL.  4  p.  m.  Pianoforte  Recital  by  Pierre  Douillet. 
Toccata  and  Fugue,  D  minor,  Bach;  Pastorale  and  Allegro 
vivacissimo,  A.  Scarlatti;  Scherzo,  B  minor,  Waltz,  A-flat 
major,  and  Polonaise,  A-flat  major,  Chopin;  Menuet,  Bizet; 
Spinning  Song,  Wagner-Liszt;  "La  Campanella,"  Paganini- 
Liszt;  "  Invitation  a  la  Valse,"  Weber-Tausig. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"Siegfried."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Tuesday,  Fifteenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert  of  a  series  of  five  devoted 
to  compositions  by  native  American  musicians.  "Spring", 
Symphony,  John  Knowles  Paine ;  Air  for  baritone  from  ' '  The 
Tale  of  the  Viking,"  George  E.  Whiting  (Carl  E.  Dufft); 
Rhapsody  for  pianoforte  and  orchestra,  Henry  Holden  Huss 
(the  pianoforte  part  played  by  the  composer) ;  Pastoral  for 
soprano  solo,  chorus,  and  orchestra,  L.  A.  Russell  (solo  voice, 
Miss  Ella  Earle ;  chorus,  the  Schubert  Vocal  Society  of  Newark, 
N.  J.,  conducted  by  the  composer);  Symphonic  Poem,  "Ham- 
let," E.  A.  McDowell;  "Dance  of  Egyptian  Maidens,"  Harry 
Rowe  Shelley.  Conductor,  Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 

The  purpose  of  these  American  concerts,  of  which  I  shall  have 

(29) 


j\~mr»it>t'r.']  THI    MCSICAI.  SKASON  1887-1888. 

something  more  to  say  in  a  retrospect  of  the  season,  was  succinctly 
stated  by  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken  in  his  prospectus  as  follows : 

In  announcing  a  series  of  concerts  to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
compositions  of  musicians  born  in  America,  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken 
believes  that  he  is  consistently  carrying  out  the  principles  which  have 
characterized  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  musical  progress  since  he  came  to 
New  York.  The  purpose  of  his  Novelty  Concerts,  of  which  the  first  was 
given  in  October,  1884,  was  to  give  a  hearing  to  the  young  writers  who 
had  been  left  unconsidered  in  the  schemes  of  the  established  concert 
organizations.  To  acquaint  the  public  with  the  styles  of  all  the  schools( 
he  made  up  his  programmes  from  the  works  of  the  younger  German, 
Italian,  French,  Russian,  Flemish,  and  Scandinavian  writers.  His  last 
concert  of  the  first  season  he  surrendered  to  his  countrymen — the 
Americans.  In  all  his  subsequent  concerts,  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken  made 
it  a  point  to  give  American  composers  a  hearing,  and  he  has  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  his  example  followed  in  a  measure  by  the 
conductors  of  New  York  and  other  cities. 

Of  necessity,  however,  he  has  heretofore  been  restricted  in  the 
choice  of  "  forms."  To  escape  this  restriction,  to  quicken  the  interest 
of  Americans  in  the  creations  of  their  compatriots,  and  to  extend  to 
composers  that  encouragement  which  flows  from  public  performance 
and  discussion,  he  has  planned  a  set  of  concerts  to  follow  each  other 
in  quick  succession  which  shall  present  the  achievements  of  native 
American  composers  in  all  the  phases  from  a  symphony  to  a  song. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Signor 
Italo  Campanini.  Overture,  "La  Muette  de  Portici,"  Auber; 
Terzetto  from  "Italiana  in  Algieri,"  Rossini  (Signori  Nannetti 
Corsini,  and  Baldini);  Aria,  "O  Nadir,"  from  "  Les  Pecheurs 
de  Perles,"  Bizet  (Signor  Galassi) :  "Fantasia  Appassionata " 
for  violin,  Vieuxtemps  (Signora  Torricelli) ;  Aria,  ' '  Cielo  e 
Mar,"  from  "Gioconda,"  Ponchielli  (Signor  Baldini);  Aria, 
"  Caro  nome."  from  "Rigoletto,"  Verdi  (Signora  Repetto); 
Aria,  "Ah  si,  ben  mio,"  from  "II  Trovatore,"  Verdi  (Signor 
Campanini);  Aria,  "  Nobil  Signor,"  from  "Les  Huguenots," 
Meyerbeer  (Signora  Scalchi);  Sestetto,  "Chi  mi  frena,"  from 
"Lucia,"  Donizetti;  Terzetto  from  "Crispino,"  Ricci  (Signori 
Nannetti,  Corsini,  and  Galassi) ;  Pianoforte  Solos :  Nocturne, 
C-sharp  minor,  Chopin,  and  Polonaise  No.  2,  Liszt  (Camille 
Gurickx);  Rondo  from  "  Lucia,"  Donizetti  (Signora  Repetto); 

(30) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON*  1887-1888.  [November. 

Aria  from  "  Simon  e  Boccanegra,"  Verdi  (Signor  Nannetti) ; 
Duetto  from  "La  Favorita,"  Donizetti  (Signora  Scalchi  and 
Signor  Galassi) ;  Mazurka  for  violin,  Wieniawski  (Signora 
Torricelli);  Quartet,  "  Un  di,  se  ben,"  from  "Rigoletto," 
Verdi  (Signore  Repetto  and  Scalchi,  and  Signori  Baldini  and 
Galassi);  "  Campanini  March"  (author  not  named).  Con- 
ductors. A.  Gore  and  P.  Giorza. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Stradella, "  by  Flotow.  Cast:  Alessandro  Stradella,  Herr 
Botel ;  Bassi,  Hermann  Gerold ;  Leonore,  Helene  Livingston ; 
Malvolio,  Carl  Mtihe ;  Barbarino,  Felix  Schnelle. 

Wednesday,  Sixteenth . 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Mey- 
erbeer's "Prophet.''  Cast:  Jean,  Herr  Niemann;  Bertha, 
Frau  Biro  de  Marion;  Fides,  Fraulein  Brandt;  Oberthal,  Herr 
Robinson;  Jonas,  Herr  Kemlitz :  Mathesen,  Herr  von  Milde; 
Zacharias,  Herr  Elmblad.  Conductor,  Mr.  Walter  J.  Dam- 
rosch. 

Thursday,  Seventeenth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
third  organ  recital.  Prelude  and  Fugue,  F  minor,  Handel ; 
Larghetto,  E-flat,  from  the  First  Symphony,  Spohr  (arranged 
by  W.  T.  Best);  Sonata  in  D,  op.  269,  P.  Fumagalli :  Offertoire 
in  E,  and  Toccata  in  G,  Theodore  Dubois ;  Andante,  C  minor, 
op.  30,  No.  2,  S.  de  Lange;  Festival  March  in  C,  Henry  Hiles. 

CHICKERIN<;  HALL.  8p.m.  Second  American  Concert.  Overture, 
"In  the  Mountains."  Arthur  Foote;  Pianoforte  Concerto, 
D  minor,  Arthur  Whiting  (solo  by  the  composer) ;  Arioso  from 
"Montezuma,"  Frederic  Grant  Gleason  (Mrs.  Corinne  Moore- 
Lawson) ;  Scherzo  from  Symphony  in  A,  Arthur  Bird ; 
"  R&verie  "  for  strings,  Silas  G.  Pratt ;  "  Royal  Gaelic  March," 
Edgar  S.  Kelley;  Cantata, "  The  Voyage  of  Columbus,"  Dudley- 
Buck  (conducted  by  the  composer :  solos  by  H.  S.  Brown, 
Stuart  Colville,  J.  T.  Drill,  and  H.  F.  Reddall;  chorus,  the 
Apollo  Club  of  Brooklyn).  Conductor,  Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 

(30 


November^  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Walter  J.  Hall.  Trio, 
C  minor,  op.  i,  No.  3,  Beethoven  (pianoforte,  Mr.  Hall;  violin. 
Eduard  Herrmann ;  violoncello,  Adolf  Hartdegen) ;  Song  from 
"  Der  Trompeter,"  Nessler  (Miss  Dora  Henninges) ;  Chaconne 
for  violin  solo,  Bach  (Mr.  Herrmann);  "  Rhapsodic  d'Auvergne,"' 
Saint-Saens;  Mazurka,  Godard;  Serenata  and  Tarantella. 
Moszkowski ;  Songs  :  "  Bitte,"  Franz,  "  Sonnenschein"  and  "  Er 
der  Herrlichste,"  Schumann  (Miss  Henninges);  Introduction 
and  Polonaise  for  violoncello,  Davidoff  (Mr.  Hartdegen) : 
Gavotte,  Sgambati,  and  Rhapsodie  Hongroise  No.  6,  Liszt. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Der  Troubadour,"  Verdi. 

Friday,  Eighteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"  Tannhauser. "  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Saturday,  Nineteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"Siegfried,"  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-second  organ  recital. 
(In  memoriam  Franz  Schubert,  obiit  November  19,  1828.) 
Toccata  and  Fugue,  D  minor  (Book  VI,  Novello  edition). 
Bach;  Andantino,  A-flat,  op.  94,  No.  2,  Schubert  (arranged  by 
W.  T.  Best) ;  Russian  Romance,  A  major,  Heinrich  Hoffmann 
(arranged  by  Harry  Rowe  Shelley) ;  Adagio  in  C,  op.  posth. , 
Schubert  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best);  "Ave  Maria,"  E  major, 
Adolph  Henselt  (arranged  by  Bartlett);  Andantino,  B-flat. 
second  entr'acte,  "Rosamunde,"  Schubert  (arranged  by  W.  T. 
Best) ;  Sonata  No.  4,  Guilmant. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  forty-sixth 
season,  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  New  York.  "  Eine 
Faust  Overture,"  Wagner;  Symphony  No.  5,  C  minor,  op.  67. 
Beethoven ;  Concerto  for  violin,  op.  46,  Rubinstein  (Madame 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

Camilla    Urso) ;      Symphonic     Poem,    "  Festklange, "     Liszt. 
Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Third  American  Concert.  Organ 
Solos :  Triumphal  March,  Dudley  Buck,  and  Fugue  in  A  minor, 
Eugene  Thayer  (Frank  G.  Dossert) ;  Songs  :  "  Moonlight"  and 
"  Early  Love,"  Frank  Van  der  Stucken  (Mrs.  Marie  Gramm); 
Pianoforte  Solos:  Scherzo,  William  Mason,  "  Loreley,"  Ed- 
ward B.  Perry  and  "Medea,"  William  H.  Sherwood  (William 
H.  Sherwood) ;  Madrigal,  "  Fair  Daffodils,"  Samuel  P.  Warren 
(Choir  of  St.  Stephen's  Church);  Pieces  for  pianoforte,  four 
hands:  Scherzo,  Edgar  S.  Kelley,  and  Tarantelle,  Edmund 
S.  Mattoon  (Mr.  Kelley  and  Mr.  Sherwood) ;  Songs :  ' '  Sweet 
wind  that  blows"  and  "She  loves  me,"  G.  W.  Chadwick 
(Frederick  Jameson) ;  Pianoforte  Solos :  Mazourka,  F.  Dewey, 
Gavotte,  Wilson  G.  Smith,  and  Polonaise,  William  H.  Dayas 
(Mr.  Sherwood);  Festival  Magnificat,  W.  W.  Gilchrist  (St. 
Stephen's  Choir). 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Der  Postilion,"  Adam. 

Sunday,  Twentieth. 

CASINO.  8  p.  m.  Signorina  Tua  played  at  the  first  popular  concert 
of  the  season. 

LIEDERKRANZ  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert  of  the  season  by  the 
Deutscher  Liederkranz.  "Die  Feuer-Anbeter,"  ("The  Fire 
Worshippers")  by  A.  Goring  Thomas  (solos  by  Frau  Seidl- 
Kraus  and  Adolph  Silbernagel;  translation  by  Reinhold  L. 
Herman);  Fantasia  for  pianoforte,  orchestra,  and  chorus,  op. 
80,  Beethoven  (pianoforte,  Frl.  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe);  Part- 
songs  for  male  voices :  ' '  Das  Heldengrab,"  L.  Liebe,  and  ' '  Car- 
mosenella"  (Italian  folk-song)  Gustav  Schmidt;  Songs:  "Wie 
stolz  und  stattlich  geht  er"and  "Jetzt  ist  er  hinaus,"  Riedl, 
"Sommer- Abend,"  Lassen  (Frau  Seidl-Kraus) ;  Andante  Spi- 
anato  et  Polonaise,  Chopin  (Frl.  Aus  der  Ohe) ;  ' '  Die  Glocken 
des  Strassburger  Ministers,"  Liszt  (baritone  solo,  Max  Treu- 
mann).  Conductor,  Reinhold  L.  Herman. 

(33) 


November.']          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 
Monday,  Twenty-first. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"  Tristan  und  Isolde."  Frl.  Meisslinger  as  Brangdne  and  Herr 
von  Milde  as  Kurwenal.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FiFTH-A VENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  First  night  of  a  three  weeks' 
season  of  comic  operetta  in  English,  and  first  performance  in 
New  York  of  "The  Begum,"  words  by  Harry  B.  Smith,  music 
by  Reginald  De  Koven.  Cast :  The  Begum  of  Oude,  Mathilde 
Cottrelly ;  Howja-Dhu,  De  Wolf  Hopper ;  Poote-  Wehl,  Edwin 
H.  Hoff;  Klahm-Chou'dee,  Hubert  Wilke;  Mynt-Jhuleep,  Digby 
Bell;  Aminah,  Marion  Manola;  Jhust-Naut,  J.  de  Angellis; 
Asch-Khart,  Harry  Macdonough ;  Namouna,  Laura  Joyce  Bell ; 
Damayanti,  Annie  Myers;  Khara-Mel,  Nina  Bertini;  Nougat, 
Grace  Seavey ;  Bon-Bon,  Paul  Franko.  Conductor,  A.  Nowak. 

"The  Begum"  is  humorous,  albeit  with  a  vulgar  humor;  it  was 
picturesquely  attired ;  it  has  music  of  which  at  least  it  may  be  said 
that  it  can  be  comprehended,  so  far  as  need  be,  without  any  more 
effort  than  is  required  to  appreciate  a  minstrel  song ;  it  has  a  story 
with  a  conceit  at  the  bottom  of  it  which  is  clever  enough  to  support 
a  framework  of  rhymes  and  verses,  and  elastic  enough  to  allow 
unbounded  scope  for  those  comical  absurdities  which  the  low 
comedian  of  the  operetta  stage  has  long  been  in  the  habit  of  injecting 
into  all  plays  with  music,  regardless  of  their  effect  upon  the  comedy. 

It  was  a  success  (measuring  success  by  money-making  capability) 
as  much  because  of  some  of  its  defects  as  in  spite  of  others.  As  a  work 
laying  claim  to  an  honorable  designation  it  is  defective  in  that  it 
shines  almost  wholly  by  reflected  light;  but  this  defect  did  not  hurt 
its  popularity.  Operetta  audiences  are  not  critical  after  once  they 
have  laughed  heartily  and,  if  they  were  compelled  in  ' '  The  Begum  " 
to  recognize  a  somewhat  slavish  imitation  in  both  words  and  music, 
their  resentment  was  estopped  by  the  fact  that  the  imitations  were 
clever  and  the  models  admirable.  To  an  experienced  listener  who 
has  practised  the  habit  of  discrimination,  it  was  obvious  that  had 
there  been  no  "  Mikado"  there  never  would  have  been  a  "  Begum;" 
and  had  there  never  been  a  Gilbert  and  Sullivan,  no  collaboration 

(34) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

of  Harry  B.  Smith  and  Reginald  De  Koven  would  have  had  to  be 
chronicled. 

Not  only  for  their  forms,  but  also  for  their  thoughts,  the  authors  of 
"The  Begum"  lean  heavily  on  the  genial  Englishmen.  Mr.  Smith, 
writer  of  the  book,  works  over  Mr.  Gilbert's  products  with  more 
freedom  and  ease  than  Mr.  De  Koven  does  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan's, 
but  both  men  have  considerable  ingenuity,  and  if  they  do  not  invent 
felicitously,  they  apply  cleverly  in  all  things  except  those  which 
belong  to  construction.  Mr.  Gilbert  knows  better  than  to  introduce 
all  his  characters  one  after  the  other,  each  with  a  stereotyped  kind 
of  entrance  song,  and  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  if  he  repeats  himself  in 
manner,  at  least  puts  variety  of  rhythm  and  melody  into  each  new 
score.  His  "  Mikado"  pieces  may  show  a  resemblance  in  physiog- 
nomy to  the  pieces  in  "Patience,"  but  they  are  not  all  copies  of  each 
other.  They  are  merely  related,  not  twins.  Mr.  De  Koven  differs 
from  the  majority  of  his  colleagues  among  operetta  composers 
in  having  put  his  best  music  in  the  second  act.  A  quartet,  ' '  We 
think,  and  minds  salubrious  have  often  thought  before  " ;  two  duets, 
"In  the  carnage  of  a  scrimmage"  and  "I  love — at  last  I've  met 
my  fate,  "and  a  ballad,  "She  I  love  is  fair  and  queenly,"  are  worth 
all  else  in  the  score.  I  would  include  also  the  Begum's  song, 
"What  though  my  griefs  can  not  be  called  extensive,"  were  it 
not  that  in  this  case  the  question  of  property  asserts  itself  so 
importunately  as  not  to  admit  of  praise  to  Mr.  De  Koven.  Besides 
it  is  palpably  not  what  Mr.  De  Koven  intended  it  to  be — a  piece 
of  music  with  Oriental  color.  It  may  be  Irish,  it  is  certainly  not 
Hindoo.  The  composer  has  too  little  command  of  the  orchestra 
and  too  slight  a  knowledge  of  the  characteristic  rhythms  and  melodic 
intervals  peculiar  to  Eastern  music  to  enable  him  to  imbue  his  score 
with  the  local  color  which  it  might  properly  have  shown.  The  piece 
ran  to  the  end  of  the  three  weeks'  season. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Carri  Brothers. 
Suite  for  pianoforte  and  violin,  G  minor,  op.  26,  Franz  Ries 
(Ferdinand  and  Hermann  Carri) ;  Canzone,  ' '  Ritornerai  fra 
poco,"  Hasse  (Miss  Berta  Bracewell) ;  Pianoforte  Solos:  "Au 
Matin"  and  Second  Mazurka,  Godard  (Hermann  Carri); 
Concerto  No.  i,  for  violin,  Paganini  (Ferdinand  Carri);  Songs: 

(35) 


November.'}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

"Sing,  sing,"  Kjerulf,  and  "Serenade,"  Moszkowski  (Miss 
Bracewell);  Rhapsodic  Hongroise  No.  4,  Liszt  (Hermann 
Carri);  "Di  tanti  palpiti,"  for  violin,  Rossini-Paganini 
(Ferdinand  Carri) ;  Barcarolle  ' '  Ou  voulez  vous  aller  ?  "  Gounod 
(Miss  Bracewell,  with  violin  obbligato) ;  Trio,  C  minor,  op.  85, 
Jadassohn  (Messrs.  Carri  and  C.  Bareuther). 

Tuesday,  Twenty-second. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Fourth  American  Concert.  String 
Quartet  in  D  major,  G.  W.  Chadwick  (G.  Dannreuther, 
E.  Thiele,  O.  Schill  and  Adolf  Hartdegen);  "Love  Song," 
Willard  Burr,  and  "I  saw  thee  weep,"  Hermann  Rietzel  (Miss 
Effie  Stewart) ;  Sonata  for  pianoforte  and  violin,  John  Knowles 
Paine  (Mr.  Dannreuther  and  William  H.  Sherwood);  Songs: 
"When  I  dream  of  thee,"  Edgar  H.  Sherwood,  "Milkmaid's 
Song,"  Arthur  Foote  (Miss  Stewart);  Sextet  in  D  minor,  for 
strings,  Johann  Beck  (the  quartet,  J.  Lendner,  and  C.  Hem- 
man.) 

Mr.  Chadwick's  quartet  was  modest  in  respect  of  length,  but 
this  fact  brought  into  prominence  a  quality  in  the  composer  which 
deserves  commendation.  It  suggested  the  possession  of  the  art  of 
self-criticism,  which  was  not  conspicuous  in  the  compositions 
brought  forward  in  the  preceding  concerts  of  the  series.'  Mr. 
Chadwick,  in  this  quartet  at  least,  stops  talking  when  he  has 
nothing  more  to  say.  It  is  not  burdened  with  remplissage,  but  is 
straightforward,  even  in  its  confession  of  indebtedness  to  its  model 
(in  the  second  movement),  the  posthumous  quartet  by  Schubert. 
This  second  movement  is  a  theme  in  D  minor  with  variations.  The 
theme,  slightly  reminiscent  of  Schubert's,  is  a  fine,  broad  melody, 
and  two  of  the  variations,  the  first  and  third,  are  excellently  con- 
ceived and  admirably  carried  out. 

Mr.  Paine's  sonata  is  beautifully  written  and  if  the  principal 
subject  of  its  slow  movement  were  better  suited  in  character  to  the 
use  made  of  it,  there  would  be  no  feature  in  it  which  an  honest 
critic  would  need  to  be  chary  in  praising.  Yet  like  other  compo- 
sitions of  the  serious-minded  Harvard  professor,  it  might  have  more 
warmth. 

(36) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {November. 

The  gem  of  the  afternoon  was  the  sextet.  Mr.  Beck,  its 
composer,  is  a  young  man,  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  has  a 
strongly  pronounced  individuality,  a  sterling  artistic  character  and 
unquestionably  much  musical  learning.  I  doubt  whether  there  is 
a  composer  in  America  who  could  match  his  slow  movement  in  this 
sextet,  and  his  first  movement  (the  second  best  of  the  four)  is  not 
far  behind  it.  Mr.  Beck's  imagination  is  not  only  prolific;  it  is  also 
poetical  in  a  high  degree.  The  interest  which  he  invites  by  his 
themes  is  paired  with  interest  in  his  treatment  of  them.  The  work- 
ing out  of  the  slow  movement  discovers  a  most  fecund  fancy,  and 
his  part-writing  is  that  of  a  musician  who  is  so  firmly  grounded  in 
technical  knowledge  that  learning  has  become  the  willing  servant  of 
the  imagination.  His  music,  when  most  erudite  and  ingenious,  is 
most  replete  with  feeling.  The  future  career  of  Mr.  Beck  may  be 
watched  with  a  higher  interest  than  curiosity. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  second  Sym- 
phony Concert.  Symphony,  E-flat  (No.  3,  Breitkopf  and  Hartel 
edition),  Haydn;  Recitative  and  Air,  "E  Susanna  non 
vien,"  Mozart  (Miss  Gertrude  Griswold);  Symphonic  Poem, 
"The  Tempest,"  J.  K.  Paine;  Aria,  •''!!  est  doux,"  Massenet 
(Miss  Griswold) ;  Dramatic  Symphony,  "Romeo  and  Juliet" 
(the  Ball  and  Love  scenes  and  Scherzo),  Berlioz.  Conductor, 
Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  tenth  season,  of  the 
Philharmonic  Club  of  New  York  (Richard  Arnold  and  Philip 
Farber,  violins,  Eugene  Weiner,  flute,  Friedhold  Hemman, 
viola,  Emil  Schenck,  violoncello,  and  August  Kalkhof,  double- 
bass).  Pianoforte  Quartet,  op.  47,  Schumann ;  Cavatina, "  Plus 
grand  dans  son  obscurite,"  Gounod  (Miss  Jennie  Button); 
Andante  and  Gavotte  from  the  Quartet,  op.  75,  Bazzini;  Song, 
"Wenn  der  Fruhling  auf  die  Berge  steigt,"  Lassen  (Miss 
Button);  Sextet,  "Serenade,"  op.  34  (MS.),  Arnold  Krug. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Ber  Troubadour." 


(37) 


November.']          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 
Wednesday,  Twenty-third. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  First 
time  in  America  of  "  Der  Trompeter  von  Sakkingen,"  Music 
by  Victor  E.  Nessler.  Cast:  Werner  Kirchhof,  Robinson; 
Conradin,  Elmblad;  Major  Domo,  Kemlitz;  Rector,  Sanger; 
Baron  von  Schonau,  Fischer;  Marie,  Frau  Seidl-Kraus;  Graf  von 
Wildenstein,  von  Milde;  Grafin,  Frl.  Meisslinger;  Damian, 
Ferenczy.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

It  was  not  surprising,  nor  altogether  inexplicable,  that  Nessler's 
opera  won  such  a  degree  of  popularity  as  to  make  it  a  fair  financial 
success.  The  record  of  the  last  four  years  was  against  such 
an  achievement  by  a  light  opera,  but  the  ' '  Trompeter  "  is  as  little 
to  be  bound  by  the  fetters  of  tradition  or  the  deductions  of  wiseacres 
as  the  hero  and  heroine  of  Scheffel's  poem,  upon  which  the  opera 
is  based,  were  to  be  deterred  from  loving  each  other  by  the  social 
restrictions  of  two  centuries  ago.  The  "Trompeter"  was  born 
under  a  lucky  star.  During  the  scant  five  years  of  its  life  it  has 
perhaps  been  played  oftener  than  any  three  operas  in  existence. 
From  one  point  of  view — that  which  limits  itself  to  the  art-value 
of  the  work — the  fact  baffles  explanation,  for  with  all  its  vivacity 
and  freshness  and  simple  beauty,  it  is  not  a  striking  work.  Dozens 
of  its  predecessors  in  the  field  of  German  comic  opera,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  opera  comique  of  the  Frenchmen,  Adam,  Boildieu, 
Halevy,  and  Auber,  are  much  superior  in  every  way.  But  the 
German's  heart  is  stronger  than  his  aesthetic  judgment,  and  the 
"  Trompeter  "  tugs  at  the  heartstrings  of  those  who  have  been  taught 
by  centuries  of  tradition  to  love  the  things  which  are  celebrated 
in  this  book  and  score.  Throughout  the  Fatherland  the  name 
of  Scheffel  is  a  household  word;  every  university  student  has  sung 
the  songs  from  his  ' '  Gaudeamus  "  in  hundreds  of  Commerse  ;  every 
German  school-girl  has  wept  sentimental  tears  over  the  parting 
of  Werner  and  Margaretha,  and  rejoiced  hysterically  at  their 
reunion;  and  every  heart  filled  with  love  of  country  has  swelled 
at  the  poet's  pictures  of  the  Rhine  and  the  Black  Forest.  Long 
before  his  death  in  April,  1886,  the  admiration  for  his  works, 
especially  for  "  Der  Trompeter  von  Sakkingen,"  had  grown  into 
a  sort  of  cult  which  would  most  assuredly  have  turned  the  five 

(38) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.          {November. 

hundredth  anniversary  of  Heidelberg  University  in  1886  into 
a  Scheffel  Festival  had  not  the  singer  of  the  old  Palatine  town  died 
before  that  famous  event  occurred.  It  is  this  cult  which  has  put 
Nessler's  opera  into  the  niche  it  now  occupies,  aided,  perhaps, 
by  the  German  Madchen's  sentimental  disposition  toward  the 
picturesque  toggery  and  chivalresque  bearing  of  the  hero.  This 
disposition  is  so  strong  that  it  overrides  all  aesthetic  considerations 
which  might  grow  out  of  the  modern  conviction  that  the  trumpet 
is  an  unromatic  instrument,  and  a  carousing  student  who  pawns  his 
Corpus  juris  sings  love  songs  to  the  Countess  Palatine  at  night  and 
chooses  a  life  of  careless  and  useless  vagabondage,  is  scarcely 
an  ideal  hero  according  to  nineteenth  century  notions. 

In  January,  1886,  an  opera  on  the  same  subject  to  which  an 
unknown  musician  named  Emil  Kaiser  composed  the  music  was 
produced  at  the  Thalia  Theatre.  The  book  of  this  opera  was 
constructed  with  more  skill  than  that  put  at  the  service  of  Herr 
Nessler,  but  the  music  was  worse  than  commonplace  and  the  work 
did  not  make  itself  popular.  The  story  followed  ScheffePs  poem 
more  closely  in  the  denoument  than  Nessler's  opera,  though  that  was 
a  doubtful  virtue,  for  when  the  poet  promoted  the  trumpeter  into 
a  chapelmaster  of  the  Sixtine  Chapel  in  Rome  he  was  guilty  of  as 
great  a  folly  as  when  he  permitted  him  to  play  "fugues"  and 
"swelling  chords"  upon  his  instrument  and  organize  an  orchestra 
containing  a  clarinet  a  full  century  before  the  clarinet  was  invented. 
The  Roman  episode  is  handled  with  fine  poetical  skill,  however, 
and  is  not  quite  so  trite  as  the  denoument  in  Nessler's  opera 
where  a  stiff-necked  and  gouty  old  baron  hands  his  daughter 
over  to  his  trumpeter  because  the  young  man  had  fought  bravely 
while  the  bridegroom  whom  the  baron  had  chosen  turned  out  to  be 
a  craven,  and  finds  a  strawberry  mark  on  the  youth  which  takes 
the  place  of  the  Pope's  patent  of  nobility  in  the  original  poem. 

The  story  of  the  opera  can  be  put  together  without  much 
difficulty  from  the  suggestions  thrown  out  in  the  foregoing  remarks. 
The  music  is  generally  fresh  and  melodious  and,  especially  in  the 
prologue,  it  touches  a  chord  which  is  bound  to  vibrate  responsively 
wherever  Germans  form  a  considerable  community.  It  voices  the 
national  love  for  jollity  and  male  chorus  music.  It  is  not  good 
dramatic  music  and  is  innocent  of  the  devices  which  opera  writers 

(39) 


November.'}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

usually  employ  to  stamp  their  characters  with  individuality.  It  is 
simply  good,  tuneful  music,  now  stirring  as  the  chorus  sings,  now 
sentimental  and  charming  and  pretty  when  the  lovers  are  voicing 
their  sweet  passion.  But  the  opera  has  one  element  which 
splendidly  adapted  it  to  the  uses  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House. 
It  admits  of  much  opulence  of  stage  attire  and  picturesque 
pageantry. 

Thursday,  Twenty-fourth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Fifth  American  Concert.  First 
Symphony,  F  major,  G.  Templeton  Strong;  Cantata,  "King 
Trojan,"  H.  W.  Parker  (solos,  Mrs.  Henrietta  Beebe  Lawton, 
Miss  Charlotte  Walker,  Miss  Hattie  J.  Clapper,  Max  Heinrich, 
Frederick  Jameson,  and  J.  Allen  Preisch) ;  "  Carnival "  from 
Suite  in  F,  Ernest  Guiraud.  Conductor,  Frank  Van  der 
Stucken. 

Mr.  Strong's  symphony  belongs  to  the  class  of  ' '  programme 
music."  It  has  a  title, "In  the  Mountains,"  and  its  four  movements 
are  designed  to  depict  the  scenes  and  emotions  of  a  day.  Thus  the 
first  movement  has  a  superscription,  "In  the  Afternoon";  the 
"  Adagio,"  "  In  the  Gloaming";  the  "Allegro,"  which  stands  in  the 
place  of  the  customary  scherzo,  "At  Midnight — the  Wild  Hunt"; 
the  finale  ("Allegro  Molto"),  "In  the  Morn."  It  will  strike  every 
one  that  the  scheme  is  modelled  on  that  of  Raffs  symphony,  "Im 
Walde,"  and  I  wish  for  the  sake  of  Mr.  Strong,  to  whose  fine 
creative  talent  the  symphony  bears  witness,  that  the  resemblance 
to  Raff's  music  extended  only  to  the  adoption  of  a  programme. 
This  is  not  the  case,  however.  The "  Im  Walde,"  it  is  true, 
suggested  little  else  than  the  sequence  of  poetical  purposes,  but  the 
"  Lenore  "  symphony  by  the  same  composer  contributed  much  of  the 
characteristic  matter  in  the  delineation  of  the  nocturnal  hunt.  Not 
only  the  instrumental  colors  but  the  melodic  and  rhythmical  devices 
as  well  which  Raff  employs  in  his  musical  description  of  the  ride 
of  the  ghostly  lover  and  his  bride,  with  all  its  grewsome  episodes, 
have  been  paraphrased  by  Mr.  Strong.  The  fact  is  to  be  regretted, 
for  the  movement  is  a  most  stirring  piece  of  music,  and  one  that 
could  not  have  been  composed  except  by  one  having  a  thorough 
command  of  the  technical  elements  of  composition.  The  Raff 

(4o) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {November. 

infusion,  moreover,  was  unnecessary,  for  until  the  paraphrase  was 
reached  the  movement  was  splendid  in  spirit,  ideas,  and  workman- 
ship. It  is  to  be  expected  that  young  composers  will  fall  into  the 
habit  of  copying  the  manner  of  the  masters  whom  they  admire  before 
they  develop  an  individual  style  of  their  own,  but  it  would  help  them 
greatly  if  they  would  cultivate  the  lofty  virtue  of  self-criticism  until 
they  were  able  after  completion  to  prune  their  scores  of  every 
quotation  direct  or  indirect  which  they  are  able  to  detect  after 
a  work  has  been  long  enough  out  of  mind  to  make  calm  examination 
possible.  For  Mr.  Strong's  talent  I  have  heretofore  expressed  much 
admiration.  I  believe  that  he  will  be  a  credit  to  the  art  of  his  native 
land,  but  before  then  he  must  become  more  original  in  his  manner 
of  expressing  his  musical  thoughts.  Nothing  is  more  contemptible 
in  musical  criticism  than  the  common  penchant  for  hunting  down 
reminiscences,  but  sometimes  it  becomes  necessary  to  direct  attention 
to  borrowed  ideas,  and  it  can  only  benefit  the  American  movement 
if  the  men  who  stand  for  it  now  are  held  to  a  strict  accountability 
in  the  matter  of  meum  and  tuum.  Mr.  Strong's  symphony,  especially 
in  its  third  and  fourth  movements,  is  a  composition  deserving  to  be 
put  among  the  half-dozen  best  compositions  performed  at  these 
concerts.  The  greater,  therefore,  was  the  pity  that  in  each 
movement  there  was  music  which  suggested  the  appropriateness 
of  sub-titles  like  these :  Introduction,  ' '  Second  Act  of  '  Siegfried ' " ; 
Adagio,  "Third  Act  of  'Tristan  und  Isolde'";  Allegro,  "Last 
Movement  'Lenore'  Symphony." 

Mr.  Parker's  cantata  was  composed  in  1885  and  had  been  heard 
previously  in  Munich,  where  Mr.  Parker  made  his  last  music 
studies,  and  in  Providence.  It  is  a  smooth  and  melodious  compo- 
sition, capitally  scored  so  far  as  the  instrumental  combinations  are 
concerned,  but  monotonous  in  color  and  feeling.  Unlike  Mr. 
Strong's  symphony  it  seems  to  have  few  reminiscences  of  other 
works,  but  it  has  equally  few  evidences  of  real  originality.  The 
' '  Carnival "  from  an  orchestral  suite  by  Guiraud  was  the  brightest 
and  the  merriest  bit  of  music  in  the  five  American  programmes, 
and  it  was  given  particular  prominence  by  the  circumstance  that  it 
was  the  only  composition  in  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken's  list  which 
showed  French  influences.  All  the  rest  were  German  in  manner. 


November.}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Madame 
Etelka  Gerster,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Henry  E.  Abbey. 
Polonaise  in  E,  Liszt  (orchestra);  Aria,  "  Madamina,"  Mozart 
(Signer  Carbone) ;  Aria,  "Che  faro,"  Gluck  (Mme.  Helene 
Hastreiter);  Concerto  No.  2,  for  violin,  Wieniawski  (Miss 
Nettie  Carpenter);  Aria,  "Una  voce  poco  fa,"  Rossini 
(Madame  Gerster);  Romanza,  "Eri  tu,"  Verdi  (Signor  De 
Anna);  Cavatinafrom  "II  Flauto  Magico,"  Mozart  (Theodore 
Bjorksten);  Duet  from  "La  Favorita,"  Donizetti  (Madame 
Hastreiter  and  Signor  De  Anna);  Overture,  "Euryanthe," 
Weber;  Aria, "M'Appari,"  Flotow  (Mr.  Bjorksten);  Aria  from 
"II  Guarany,"  Gomez  (Madame  Hastreiter);  "Autumn 
Revery,"  for  harp,  Thomas  (Madame  Sacconi);  Bolero  from 
"I  Vespri  Siciliani,"  Verdi  (Madame  Gerster);  Aria,  "II 
Balen,"  Verdi  (Signor  De  Anna);  Duet,  from  "L'Elisir  d' 
Amore,"  Donizetti  (Madame  Gerster  and  Signor  Carbone); 
' '  Rakoczy "  March,  Berlioz.  Conductor,  Adolf  Neuendorff. 

The  concert  was  given  a  mournful  interest  by  reason  of  the  fact 
that  it  demonstrated  that  Madame  Gerster  had  made  a  grievous 
error  in  supposing  that  she  had  recovered  from  the  impairment  of 
her  voice  which  had  kept  her  in  retirement  since  her  last  appearance 
in  the  United  States  with  Mr.  Mapleson's  company  in  the  season 
1883-1884  at  the  Academy  of  Music.  Her  friends  received  her 
with  great  enthusiasm,  but  the  evidences  that  the  voice  which  had 
charmed  them  so  often  was  gone,  were  so  painfully  convincing  that 
the  newspaper  press  on  the  morning  after  the  concert  could  make 
no  attempt  to  conceal  the  fact.  Madame  Gerster  made  one  more 
effort,  on  the  evening  of  November  26th  at  New  Haven,  and 
then  abandoned  the  tour  which  she  had  projected  with  Mr.  Abbey 
as  manager. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
Adam's  "Postilion." 

Friday,  Twenty-fifth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Meyer- 
beer's "Prophet."  Fraulein  Lilli  Lehmann  as  Bertha.  Con- 
ductor, Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

(42) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.         [Nwember. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  of  the  Beethoven  String 
Quartet  (G.  Dannreuther,  Ernst  Thiele,  O.  Schill,  and  Adolf 
Hartdegen).  Quartet,  G  minor,  op.  27,  Grieg;  Songs,  "Ich 
denke  Dein,"  and  "Wohin?"  Lassen  (Miss  Ella  Earle); 
"Traume"  (transcribed  for  strings),  Wagner;  Petite  Marche, 
Cesar  Cui;  Song,  "Kennst  du  das  Land,"  Schubert  (Miss 
Earle) ;  Trio,  A  minor,  op.  50,  Tscha'ikowsky.  (Pianoforte, 
Alexander  Lambert). 

Saturday,  Twenty-sixth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Mr.  Thomas's  second  Popular  Mat- 
inee for  Young  People.  "Huldigungs-Marsch,"  Wagner; 
Overture,  "Oberon,"  Weber;  Prelude,  Chorale,  and  Fugue, 
Bach-Esser;  Scherzo, "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  Mendels- 
sohn; Symphonic  Poem,  "Les  Preludes,"  Liszt;  Theme  and 
Variations  from  the  Quartet  in  D  minor,  Schubert;  Ballet 
music  from  "Henri  VIII,"  Saint-Saens.  Conductor,  Theo- 
dore Thomas. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Ness- 
ler's  "Trompeter  von  Sakkingen."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-third  organ  recital. 
"St.  Ann's"  fugue  (Book  VI,  Novello  edition),  Bach;  Gran 
Coro  Trionfale,  E-flat,  Capocci ;  "  Litanei,"  A-flat,  Liszt; 
Variations  on  "The  Star-spangled  Banner,"  Dudley  Buck; 
Piece  Heroique,  B  minor,  Cesar  Franck ;  Fest  Sonata,  C  major, 
op.  371,  Dr.  W.  Volckmar. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert,  tenth 
season,  of  the  Symphony  Society.  Symphony  No.  i,  Eugene 
d' Albert;  Air,  "  Dalla  sua  pace,"  Mozart  (Max  Alvary) ; 
Introduction  and  Serenade  from  "Namouna,"  Lalo;  Ballad, 
"Siegfried's  Sword,"  Leopold  Damrosch  (Herr  Alvary) ;  Three 
romantic  overtures:  "  Der  Freischiitz,"  Weber,  "Fliegende 
Hollander,"  Wagner,  "  Le  Corsair,"  Berlioz.  Conductor, 
Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

(43) 


November.}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Mr.  D' Albert's  symphony  and  the  music  by  Lalo  were  publicly 
played  for  the  first  time  in  America,  at  the  public  rehearsal  on  the 
preceding  day. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Boieldieu's  "Die 
weisse  Dame."  Gaveston,  Carl  Miihe;  Anna,  Selma  Kronold; 
George  Brown,  Heinrich  Botel ;  Dickson,  Felix  Schnelle ;  Jenny, 
Carola  Englander;  Margarethe,  Jenny  Boner;  Mac-Irton, 
Rudolf  Sinnhold;  Gabriel,  Hermann  Korn. 

Monday,  Twenty-eighth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8p.m.  German  opera.  "Fidelio." 
Herr  Robinson  as  Pizarro.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
an  act  each  of  "Postilion,"  "Martha,"  and  "Troubadour." 

Tuesday,  Twenty-ninth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA'  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  First  concert  in 
America  of  Master  Josef  Hofmann  under  the  managment  of 
Messrs.  Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau.  Overture,  "  Carneval 
Remain, "Berlioz;  Pianoforte  Concerto  in  C,  No.  i,  Beethoven 
(solo,  Josef  Hofmann);  Symphonic  Poem,  "Phaeton,"  Saint- 
Sae'ns;  Variations  for  pianoforte,  Rameau  (Master  Hofmann); 
Overture,"  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  Mendelssohn;  Piano- 
forte Solos:  Berceuse  and  Waltz,  Josef  Hofmann,  Nocturne, 
E-flat,  and  Waltz,  E  minor,  Chopin  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Polacca 
for  Pianoforte  and  Orchestra,  Weber-Liszt  (solo,  Master  Hof- 
mann). Conductor,  Adolf  Neuendorff. 

Those  who  run  after  the  marvellous  without  caring  even  to  try 
to  fathom  its  nature,  those  who  like  to  exercise  their  wits  in  explain- 
ing the  seemingly  inexplicable,  and  those  whose  hearts  warm  at  the 
thought  that  a  genius  may  come  down  in  this  matter-of-fact  age, 
and  that  it  may  be  theirs  to  speak,  not  irreverently,  with  Simeon 
of  old,  touching  a  Musical  Messiah — all  found  a  rich  reward, 
in  the  concerts  of  the  wonderful  boy  who  made  his  first  public 
appearance  in  America  on  this  occasion.  For  a  year  past  reports 

(44) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [November. 

concerning  his  remarkably  ripe  powers  as  a  pianoforte  player  and 
composer  had  reached  our  ears,  first  from  Berlin,  then  from  Lon- 
don. The  early  reports  were  mere  fugitive  whisperings;  but  when 
the  last  London  season  reached  its  height,  the  Polish  prodigy  rode 
on  the  crest  of  its  biggest  wave.  He  had  played  at  a  concert  of 
the  venerable  Philharmonic  Society  under  the  direction  of  Sir 
Arthur  Sullivan,  and  royalty  had  condescended  to  smile  on  him, 
as  a  century  and  a  quarter  before  it  had  put  its  head  out  of  a 
carriage  and  nodded  vigorously  to  the  boy  Mozart  as  he  took  a 
walk  in  the  park.  Then  Hofmann  gave  a  series  of  recitals  in 
St.  James's  Hall,  and  when  the  time  came  to  announce  the  last 
in  the  newspapers,  lo  !  it  was  a  needless  thing  to  do,  for  the  tickets 
were  already  sold.  Such  a  startling  occurrence  in  the  history  of 
concert-giving  could  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  foreign  corre- 
spondent. Naturally  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  was  excited  in  New 
York,  and  so  sincere  was  the  desire  to  study  the  lad  on  the  part  of 
the  serious  music-reviewers  of  the  newspaper  press  that  a  request 
for  a  private  meeting  at  which  his  powers  could  be  tested  was  sent 
to  Mr.  Abbey  before  the  boy  arrived.  Mr.  Abbey  granted  the 
request  in  a  manner  that  defeated  its  object.  He  gave  a  private 
recital  in  Wallack's  theatre  on  the  afternoon  of  November  28th, 
and  invited  to  it  a  large  company  composed  almost  exclusively  of 
actors — men  and  women,  who,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  discovered  by 
their  applause  at  inopportune  times  that  they  had  hazy  notions 
concerning  the  things  they  were  applauding. 

In  the  literature  of  no  other  art  are  tales  of  precocity  so 
common  as  in  that  of  music.  They  furnish  opening  phrases  for 
the  majority  of  biographies  of  a  certain  class.  There  is  some  color 
of  reason  why  this  should  even  be  so.  Some  elements  of  a  musical 
nature  must  be  direct  gifts  or  they  will  never  be  owned ;  the  sense 
of  absolute  pitch,  for  instance,  cannot  be  acquired;  and  hence  it 
is  exceedingly  fortunate  that  it  is  not  an  essential  ingredient  in 
the  compounding  of  a  musician.  Raff  and  Meyerbeer  are  among 
the  eminent  composers  who  did  not  possess  it;  nevertheless  every 
student  of  the  art  has  in  the  course  of  his  experiences  found  some 
child  who,  without  knowing  why,  could  give  the  name  of  a  tone 
produced  by  the  touching  of  an  unseen  key  upon  the  pianoforte, 
and  sometimes  even  resolve  a  dissonant  bunch  of  notes  into  its 

(45) 


November.}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

factors.  Yet  all  these  things  have  not  prevented  the  critical  part 
of  the  world  from  viewing  the  tales  of  premature  ripeness  with 
suspicion.  One  reason  of  this,  doubtless,  is  the  fact  that  the 
number  of  cases  in  which  extraordinary  talent  in  the  child  has 
developed  into  genius  in  the  man  are  so  few.  The  uncritical  and 
unthinking,  of  course,  are  always  ready  to  be  astounded  and 
bewildered,  and  it  is  because  of  the  preponderance  of  these  in  the 
world's  population  that  the  dime  museum  and  the  side-show  of 
freaks  flourish.  From  the  utterances  of  the  two  extreme  classes  it 
would  be  difficult  to  come  to  a  decision  in  such  a  case  as  that 
presented  by  young  Hofmann.  It  was  obvious  enough  at  this  first 
hearing  that  he  is  gifted  in  music  far  beyond  any  child  presented  to 
public  notice  in  recent  times;  and  if  the  inquiry  were  to  stop  here 
there  would  be  little  occasion  for  controversy.  From  the  technical 
point  of  view  solely  his  playing  of  the  pianoforte  is  phenomenal. 
The  confident  ease  with  which  he  attacks  the  task  set  before  him 
is  astonishing  at  the  outset;  his  nimbleness  of  finger,  his  command 
of  the  technique  peculiar  to  the  instrument,  his  tone  production 
in  respect  both  of  quality  and  quantity  (in  the  latter  put  to  a  merci- 
less test  in  the  vast  audience-room),  the  nice  sense  of  symmetry 
which  marks  his  playing  of  scales  and  arpeggios,  his  mastery  of 
dynamic  effects  and  of  tone-color — all  these  features  of  his  playing 
are  admirable  in  themselves,  and  nothing  short  of  remarkable  as 
elements  in  the  playing  of  a  lad  of  ten  years.  But  it  is  none 
the  less  true  that  all  of  them  might  be  the  fruits  of  imitation, 
and  are  not  necessarily  indicative  of  the  possession  of  extra- 
ordinary musical  talent.  For  the  proofs  of  such  a  possession  we 
generally  look  at  other  elements  in  pianoforte  playing — to  its  intel- 
lectual and  emotional  contents.  In  the  nature  of  the  case  we 
cannot  talk  about  emotional  depth  in  a  child's  playing,  even  though 
he  be  a  prodigy;  when  young  Hofmann  approaches  feeling  at  all 
it  seems  rather  the  product  of  an  instinctive  appreciation  that 
some  effect  is  necessary  for  the  sake  of  beauty  in  music,  and 
it  would  be  the  course  of  wisdom  to  exclude  from  his  programmes 
all  the  music  of  such  composers  as  Schumann  and  Chopin,  with 
whom  the  emotional  element  is  dominant.  But  there  is  a  high 
degree  of  intelligently  directed  taste  in  his  playing,  which  bears 
testimony  to  a  genuine  musical  nature. 

(46) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.          {November. 

The  majority  of  his  intuitions,  even  when  balked  by  a  mechanical 
slip,  are  a  delight  to  the  judicious.  At  his  first  concert  he 
played  two  numbers,  which  lifted  this  side  of  his  ability  into 
prominence — the  slow  movement  of  Beethoven's  first  concerto  and 
the  theme  and  variations  by  Rameau.  It  would  be  difficult  with 
all  the  arguments  at  the  hands  of  the  cleverest  special  pleader 
to  convince  a  musician  that  the  exquisite  phrasing  and  lovely 
shading  in  the  former  and  the  solidity  of  style  and  lucidity 
of  exposition  in  the  latter  were  acquired  by  an  exercise  of  a  merely 
imitative  faculty,  no  matter  how  abnormally  developed.  As  proofs 
of  the  deep-grounded  musical  nature  of  the  lad  his  reading  of  these 
two  numbers  was  far  more  potent  than  his  performance  of  two 
original  compositions  or  his  improvisation  on  a  given  theme. 

Josef  Hofmann  is  a  wonderful  child.  The  ripeness  and  maturity 
of  his  pianoforte  playing,  coupled  with  the  perfection  of  his  ' '  finger 
technic,"  fill  the  musician  with  amazement  and  tempt  him  strongly 
to  declare  the  boy  to  be  a  genius.  And  so,  perhaps,  he  is — a  genius 
with  a  difference.  Genius  need  not  be  so  comprehensive  as  the 
sticklers  in  the  use  of  the  word  would  have  us  believe.  We  have 
not  been  convinced  by  what  we  have  heard  and  seen  that  this 
prodigy  is  at  all  in  the  case  of  Mozart  and  Mendelssohn,  with  whose 
names  his  has  thoughtlessly  been  associated.  He  is  a  genius 
of  another  sort;  if  the  dreadful  adjective  be  pardoned,  he  is  a  "pian- 
istic"  genius,  such  as  Liszt  was  at  his  age,  and  Rubinstein.  His 
improvisations  show  to  the  knowing  that  he  ought  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  Mozart,  who,  when  only  as  old  as  he,  had  already 
composed  sonatas,  symphonies,  and  concertos  by  the  score,  and  who 
exhibited  an  instinctive  knowledge  of  "form"  full  six  years  earlier; 
nor  with  Mendelssohn,  who  was  no  older  than  young  Hofmann 
when  he  played  Bach  fugues,  and  improvised  by  the  hour  for 
Goethe,  and  on  one  occasion  completed  the  old  poet's  mystification 
by  reading  at  sight  autograph  manuscripts  by  Mozart  and  Beethoven. 
The  latter  is  scarcely  ever  numbered  with  the  prodigies  (or  as  the 
Germans  call  them,  "wonder-children")  of  music;  and  yet  at  Hof- 
mann's  age  he  composed  fourteen  variations  on  a  march  by  Dressier, 
a  two-voiced  fugue,  and  three  pianoforte  sonatas  which  have  been 
printed.  The  feat  which  the  Polish  lad  performs  of  taking  a  theme 
from  a  player  and  continuing  it  is  one  that  all  the  prodigies  on  record 

(47) 


November.}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

have  done,  and  I  believe  with  much  more  striking  results;  for, 
without  wishing  to  detract  from  his  ability  as  an  improviser,  it 
ought  to  be  said  that  the  power  which  he  displays  in  creating  is 
not  at  all  comparable  with  his  power  in  reproducing.  His  genius 
lies  in  the  direction  of  pianoforte  playing,  and  it  ought  to  be  an  inter- 
esting subject  of  study  for  physiologists  as  well  as  psychologists. 
Here  is  a  child  of  ten  years,  with  undeveloped  mental  faculties, 
with  the  emotional  element  of  his  nature  absolutely  quiescent,  with 
immature  physical  outfit,  who  nevertheless  performs  feats  on  the 
keyboard  which  from  a  purely  mechanical  point  of  view  are  bewild- 
ering. Josef  is  well  born  musically,  but  it  would  seem  as  if  he  had 
inherited  not  only  the  fine  musical  intuitions  which  enable  him  to 
invest  his  performances  with  some  of  the  highest  attributes,  but  also 
the  technical  ability  to  give  them  expression.  Like  Liszt,  he  has 
a  "piano  hand" — not  abnormally  large,  but  with  muscles,  nerves, 
and  sinews  adjusted  to  enable  him  to  grasp  chords  and  propel  his 
fingers  powerfully  and  independently.  His  touch  is  truly  musical, 
moreover;  and  this,  all  musicians  know,  is  something  else  than 
a  mere  product  of  imitation. 

No  praise  that  the  newspapers  gave  to  the  playing  of  young 
Hofmann  was  extravagant,  except  that  which  found  the  same 
warmth  of  feeling  and  maturity  of  expression  in  it  that  mark  the 
work  of  the  ripe  artist.  As  I  have  already  observed  there  can  be  no 
talk  of  real  depth  of  feeling  in  such  a  case.  But  the  taste  of  the  lad 
is  exquisite,  his  command  of  tone-color  amazing,  his  reposefulness 
of  delivery  would  reflect  credit  on  any  older  artist,  his  sense  of 
symmetry  is  most  delightful,  and  his  digital  agility  as  great  as  that 
which  the  majority  of  pianoforte  players  attain  after  practising  as 
many  years  as  this  little  lad  has  lived. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  eleventh  season,  of 
the  Vocal  Union.  Part-songs:  "Love  and  Summer,  "John  E. 
West;  "Good-night  from  the  Rhine,"  Raff;  Songs:  "Thou'rt 
like  a  flower,"  Liszt;  "Maiden  with  the  lips  so  rosy,"  Meyer- 
Hellmund  (Carl  E.  Dufft);  Part-song:  "Corin,  for  Cleora 
dying,"  W.  V.  Wallace;  Pianoforte  Solo:  "Du  bist  die  Ruh;" 
Schubert-Liszt  (Mrs.  Clara  E.  Thorns);  Ode  (at  a  solemn 
music),  "  Blest  pair  of  Sirens,"  C.  Hubert  H.  Parry;  Madrigal: 

(48) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.          \November. 

"See  where  the  rapid  Bound,"  Luca  Marenzio;  Part-song  for 
women's  voices:  "The  Water  Nymph,"  Henry  Smart;  Piano- 
forte Solos:  "Dream  Bells,"  Robert  Goldbeck,  "  Magic  Fire 
Scene,"  Wagner-Brassin  (Mrs.  Thorns);  "Lullaby,"  Barnby; 
Song:  "Thine  eyes  so  blue,"  Lassen  (Mr.  Dufft);  Part-Song: 
"Three  dough  tie  men,"  W.  W.  Pearson.  Conductor,  Samuel 
P.  Warren. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  tenth 
season,  of  the  Apollo  Club.  "  In  the  Night,"  L.  Liebe;  Sextet, 
op.  34,  Arnold  Krug  (Philharmonic  Club);  "Treachery," 
F.  Buchler;  Song:  "Gretchen,"  Hauptmann  (Miss  Ella  Earle) 
"Forest  Harps,"  Edwin  Schultz;  "King  Olafs  Christmas," 
Dudley  Buck  (Solos  by  Stuart  Colville  and  H.  S.  Brown); 
Song,  "O  du  meine  liebliche  Liebe,"  B.  O.  Klein  (Miss 
Earle) ;  ' '  Robin  Adair  "  (Apollo  Club) ;  Rhapsody  Hongroise 
No.  3,  Liszt  (Philharmonic  Club);  "Parting  Song,"  Mendels- 
sohn. Conductor,  Dudley  Buck. 

Wednesday,  Thirtieth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Lohengrin."  Cast:  Lohengrin,  Niemann;  Konig  Hein- 
rich,  Fischer;  Telramund,  Robinson;  Heerrufer,  von  Milde; 
Elsa,  Frau  Seidl-Kraus;  Ortrud,  Fraulein  Brandt.  Conductor, 
Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Die  weisse  Dame." 


(49) 


DECEMBER 


Thursday,  First. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2:30  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef 
Hofmann.  Overture,  "  Oberon,"  Weber;  Concerto  for  piano- 
forte, No.  3,  C  minor,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Air, 
"Dich  theure  Halle,"  Wagner  (Madame  Helene  Hastreiter) ; 
Concertstiick,  for  violin,  Saint-Saens  (Miss  Nettie  Carpenter) ; 
Solos:  Gavotte,  Pirani,  Romance,  Rubinstein,  "  Le  Bananier," 
Gottschalk  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Overture,  "  Rienzi,"  Wagner; 
"Toreador  Song,"  Bizet  (Signer  De  Anna);  Solo  for  harp 
(Mme.  Sacconi) ;  Capriccio,  B  minor,  Mendelssohn  (Master 
Hofmann).  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Pianoforte  recital  by  Edwin  Klahre. 
Sonata,  op.  31,  No.  2,  Beethoven;  Nocturne,  F-sharp,  Im- 
promptu, F-sharp,  and  Polonaise,  op.  53,  Chopin;  "Am 
Loreley  Fels,"  Raff;  Suite,  "Aus  Holberg's  Zeit,"  Grieg; 
"  Kammenoi-Ostrow  No.  22,  and  Barcarolle  No.  4,  Rubin- 
stein; "Dreams  of  Love"  No.  i,  Etude,  D-flat,  and  "La 
Campanella,"  Liszt. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
fourth  organ  recital.  Prelude,  A  minor  (Book  IV,  No.  13), 
Bach;  Fugue,  E  minor,  G.  Frescobaldi;  Adagio  from  the 
Symphony  in  E-flat,  No.  4,  Haydn  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best) ; 
Fantasie  Sonata,  A-flat,  op.  65,  Rheinberger;  Fantasia,  op.  15, 
No.  i,  Emil  Sjogren;  "Priere,"  E,  op.  64,  No.  n,  C.  V. 
Alkan  (aine) ;  Offertory,  D  minor,  H.  M.  Higgs. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  fifteenth 
season,  of  the  Oratorio  Society.  "Requiem,"  Mozart;  third 

(So) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [December. 

part  of  Schumann's  "Scenes  from  Goethe's  'Faust.'"  Prin- 
cipal singers,  Miss  Ella  Earle,  Miss  Marie  Groebl,  Charles 
Kaiser,  Rudolph  von  Milde  and  Johannes  Elmblad.  Con- 
ductor, Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  private  concert,  fourth  season, 
of  the  Musurgia.  "  The  Sea  hath  its  Pearls,"  John  S.  Camp; 
Canzonetta,  Minuet,  and  Serenade,  Godard  (New  York  Phil- 
harmonic Club);  "Like  the  Woodland  Roses,"  Franz  Mair; 
Lullaby,  Brahms;  "The  Enchantress,"  J.  L.  Hatton)  Mrs. 
Sarah  Baron  Anderson);  Finale,  Act  I,  "  Rienzi,"  Wagner 
(arranged  by  Max  Spicker);  Transcription,  "  Preislied,"  Wag- 
ner, and  Ballet,  Gluck  (Philharmonic  Club);  "Ring  out,  Wild 
Bells,"  Chopin  (transcribed  by  Max  Vogrich) ;  "  Es  muss  was 
Wunderbares  sein,"  Franz  Ries,  and  "Ah!  'tis  a  Dream,"  C.  B. 
Hawley  (Mrs.  Anderson) ;  Drinking  Song,  W.  W.  Gilchrist. 

Friday,  Second. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Nessler's 
"  Der  Trompeter  von  Sakkingen."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Herr  Botel  in  a 
mixed  bill. 

Saturday,  Third. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Siegfried."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Herr  Botel  in  "  Der 
Postilion." 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-fourth  organ 
recital.  Fugue,  D  minor  (Book  III,  Westbrook's  arrange- 
ment), Dr.  T.  A.  Arne;  Priere,  B-flat,  op.  64,  No.  4,  C.  V. 
Alkan  (aine) ;  Finale,  B-flat,  op.  21,  Cesar  Franck;  Adagio 
in  B,  from  the  Sixth  Symphony,  C.  M.  Widor ;  Sonata, 
"Ecclesia,"  op.  32,  J.  T.  Cooper. 

(50 


December.}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

CASINO.  8  p.  m.  Last  performance  of  "The  Marquis,"  book  by 
M.  Delacour,  music  by  Paul  Lacomb,  first  produced  in  the 
English  adaptation  by  Reece  and  Freeman  at  the  Casino  on 
September  iyth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  by  Josef 
Hofmann.  Overture,  "  Mignon,"  A.  Thomas;  Pianoforte 
Concerto  in  D  minor,  Mozart  (Master  Hofmann) ;  ' '  Spirto 
gentil,"  Donizetti  (Theodore  Bjorksten);  "My  soul  is  dark." 
G.  Federlein  (Madame  Helene  Hastreiter) ;  Pianoforte  Solos : 
Pastorale,  Scarlatti,  Etude,  Ravina,  Waltz,  Chopin,  "Spinning 
Song,"  Mendelssohn  (Master  Hofmann);  Overture,  "Tann- 
hauser,"  Wagner;  "  Non  piu  andrai,"  Mozart  (Signer  De 
Anna);  Polacca,  Weber-Liszt  (Master  Hofmann;  orchestra 
conducted  by  Casimir  Hofmann,  his  father).  Conductor, 
Adolph  Neuendorff. 

Monday,  Fifth. 

CASINO.  8  p.  m.  First  performance  of  "  Madelon,"  an  English 
version  of  "La  Petite  Mademoiselle,"  book  by  MM.  Meilhac 
and  Halevy,  music  by  Charles  Lecocq.  Cast:  Trompette, 
Bertha  Ricci;  Pompanon,  Isabelle  Urquhart;  Jomine,  Sylvia 
Gerrish;  Madelon,  Lillian  Grubb;  Rabicamp,  Mark  Smith; 
Jolivett,  Courtice  Pounds;  Filoufin,  Arthur  W.  Tarns;  Tabou- 
reau,  James  T.  Powers.  Conductor,  John  J.  Braham. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "  Der 
Trompeter  von  Sakkingen."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Tuesday,  Sixth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  4  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann. Overture,  "Jubilee," Weber;  Concerto  for  Pianoforte, 
No.  i,  C  major,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann);  Violin  Solo, 
"Zigeunerweisen,"  Sarasate  (Miss  Nettie  Carpenter);  "  Craco- 
vienne,"  Wallace  (Master  Hofmann);  "  Le  parlate  d'amor," 
Gounod  (Madame  Helene  Hastreiter) ;  Pianoforte  Solos : 
Romance,  Mazourka  No.  2,  Souvenir,  and  Waltz,  Josef 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {December. 

Hofmann  (Master  Hofmann);  Symphonic  Poem,  "  Le  Rouet 
d'  Omphale,"  Saint-Saens;  Polacca,  Weber-Liszt  (Master  Hof- 
mann). Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  third  Symphony 
Concert.  Fugue,  A  minor,  Bach-Hellmesberger ;  Symphony 
No.  9,  C  major,  Schubert;  "  Der  Wanderer,"  Schubert  (Emil 
Fischer);  "  Eine  Faust  Overture,"  Wagner;  Funeral  March 
from  the  Sonata  in  B  minor,  Chopin  (transcribed  for  orchestra 
by  Theodore  Thomas);  "Des  frommen  Landsknecht's  Morgen- 
lied"  and  "Sehnsucht  nach  der  Heimath,"  Lenz  (Herr 
Fischer) ;  "  Der  Tanz  in  der  Dorfschenke,"  Liszt.  Conductor, 
Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:30  p.  m.  First  concert,  twenty-second 
season,  of  the  Mendelssohn  Glee  Club.  "Harps  of  the 
Forest,"  Edwin  Schultz;  " Souvenir  de  Moscou,"  Wieniawski 
(Signorina  Teresina  Tua) ;  Songs :  "  Du  bist  wie  eine  Blume," 
Schumann;  "Winds  in  the  Trees,"  A.  Goring  Thomas;  "Si 
tu  veux,  Mignonne,"  Massenet  (Miss  Gertrude  Griswold) ; 
"Summer  Night,"  G.  Joseph  Brambach;  "Parting,"  H.  Jiingst; 
"Rovers,"  Anton  Schamann;  "  Longb  card's  Saga,"  Charles 
H.  Lloyd;  Nocturne,  Chopin-Sarasate,  and  "Zapateado," 
Sarasate  (Signorina  Tua);  "An  Old  Garden,"  Hope  Temple 
(Miss  Griswold);  "Drinking  Song,"  J.  Leiter.  Conductor, 
Joseph  Mosenthal. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
a  mixed  bill. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  First  concert,  first  season,  of  the 
Damrosch  Symphony  Society  of  Brooklyn.  Overture,  "Frei- 
schiitz,"  Weber;  Symphony  in  B  minor  (unfinished),  Schubert; 
Love  song  from  "  Die  Walkiire,"  Wagner  (Max  Alvary);  Elegy 
and  Valse  from  Serenade  for  strings,  Tscha'ikowsky ;  Overture, 
"FingaFs  Cave,"  Mendelssohn;  Air  from  "Sulamith,"  Leopold 
Damrosch  (Fraulein  Marianne  Brandt) ;  Prize  Song  from  ' '  Die 
Meistersinger,"  Wagner  (Herr  Alvary);  Hungarian  Rhapsody 
No.  14,  Liszt.  Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

(53) 


December]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Wednesday,  Seventh. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Die 
Jiidin,"by  Halevy.  Cast:  Eleazar,  Niemann;  jRecha,  Lehmann; 
Cardinal,  Fischer;  Leopold,  Alvary;  Eudora,  Frau  Biro  de 
Marion;  Jtuggiero,  von  Milde;  Alberto,  Dore.  Conductor, 
Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  concert,  ninth  season,  of  the 
Banks'  Glee  Club.  Organ  overture,  "Maritana,"  Wallace 
(Will  C.  Macfarlane);  "Soldiers'  Chorus,"  George  F.  Bristow; 
"Vesper  Music,"  Barnby  (Carl  E.  Dufft);  "Bel  raggio,"  Ros- 
sini (Mrs.  Blanche  Stone  Barton);  "The  Merry  Wayfarer "  and 
"Summer  Song,"  Mendelssohn;  Second  Air  Varie,  Vieuxtemps 
(J.  Neidzielski) ;  "The  Farewell  of  Hiawatha,"  Arthur  Foote 
(solo,  Mr.  Dufft);  "The  Larks,"  F.  Hiller  (solo,  Mrs.  Barton) 
"Souvenir  de  Haydn,"  Leonard,  (Mr.  Neidzielski);  "Little 
Jack  Homer,"  A.  J.  Caldicott;  "Ave  Maria,"  Bach-Gounod 
(Mrs.  Barton);  "Evening,"  Abt  (solo,  Mr.  Dufft).  Conductor, 
H.  R.  Humphries. 

Thursday,  Eighth. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  3  p.  m.  First  popular  matinee 
of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  "Marche  Slave," 
Tscha'ikowsky ;  Overture,  "Oberon,"  Weber;  Intermezzo, 
Bargiel;  Hungarian  Rhapsody,  No.  14,  Liszt;  Funeral  March 
from  the  Sonata  in  B  minor,  Chopin-Thomas;  Slavonic  Dances, 
op.  72,  Dvorak;  Waltz,  "Wine,  Woman,  and  Song,"  Strauss. 
Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
fifth  organ  recital.  Prelude  and  fugue,  A  minor,  D.  Buxtehude ; 
Minuet  in  F,  from  a  Concerto,  Bach  (arranged  by  Best) ;  Sonata 
No.  2,  G  minor,  op.  42,  Gustav  Merkel;  Fantasia  in  A,  Cesar 
Franck;  Allegro  moderate,  in  A,  E.  J.  Hopkins;  Theme  and 
Variations,  A-flat,  L.  Thiele. 

(54) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [December. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture,  "Flying  Dutchman,"  Wagner;  Concerto, 
No.  3,  C  minor,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann);  "Elevation," 
for  orchestra,  Otto  Floersheim;  Rondo  Capriccioso,  Mendels- 
sohn; "O  don  Fatale,"  Verdi  (Madame  Helene  Hastreiter) ; 
Pianoforte  Solos :  Variations,  Handel,  Nocturne,  Chopin, 
and  Etude,  Ravina  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Overture,  "Sakuntala," 
Goldmark;  "A  Father's  Love,"  Murio-Celli  (Signer  De 
Anna);  Rondo  Brillante,  Mendelssohn  (Master  Hofmann). 
Conductor,  Adolph  NeuendorfF. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  First  concert  of  the  New  York 
String  Quartet  (Sam  Franko,  Henry  Boewig,  Ludwig  Schenck 
and  Victor  Herbert).  Quartet,  G  minor,  op.  27,  Grieg; 
Sonata,  F-sharp  minor,  op.  n,  Schumann  (Max  Vogrich); 
Songs:  "Der  Schwan,"  "Ich  liebe  Dich,"  "Erstes  Begeg- 
nen,"  Grieg  (Charles  Kaiser);  Quartet,  C  major,  op.  66, 
Rubinstein  (pianoforte,  Mr.  Vogrich). 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:30  p.  m.  First  private  concert,  third 
season,  of  the  Orpheus  Glee  Club.  "On  the  sea,"  Dudley 
Buck;  Waltz  from  "Faust,"  Gounod-Liszt  (William  H. 
Sherwood);  "The  Tear,"  Witt;  "Je  suis  Titania,"  Thomas 
(Madame  Giulia  Valda) ;  "Sunset,"  Beardsley  Van  de  Water; 
"The  Haunted  Stream,"  E.  H.  Phelps  (soprano  obbligato, 
Madame  Valda);  Nocturne,  D-flat,  op.  26,  No.  2,  Chopin,  and 
Marche  Militaire,  D-flat,  Schubert-Tausig  (William  H.  Sher- 
wood);  "Love,"  Meyer-Hellmund,  and  "Ever  with  Thee," 
Raff  (Madame  Valda);  "  Crown'd  with  the  Clusters  of  the 
Vine,"  A.  Mellon  (solo,  Chester  I.  Cole).  Conductor,  Dud- 
ley Buck. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"Die  Hugenotten,"  Meyerbeer.  Raoul,  Botel;  Marcel, 
Miihe;  Valentine,  Frau  Herbert-Forster ;  Kdnigin,  Frau 
Hovemann-Korner. 


(55) 


December.'}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Friday,  Ninth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Gounod's 
"Faust."  Cast:  Faust,  Alvary;  Mephistopheles,  Fischer; 
Valentine,  Robinson ;  Siebel,  Fraulein  Meisslinger,  Brander,  von 
Milde;  Margaretha,  Fraulein  Lehmann;  Martha,  FrauGottich. 
Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

Saturday,  Tenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  third  Popular 
Matinee  for  Young  People.  Overture,  "  Fingal's  Cave,"  Men- 
delssohn; "  Romischer  Carneval "  (Humoreske  nach  Scheffel) 
Hans  Huber;  Fantasia,  "  Liebesnacht, "  Phillip  Scharwenka; 
"  Komarins-Kaja,"  Glinka;  Concerto  for  Violoncello,  Victor 
Herbert  (played  by  the  composer);  Prelude,  "Lohengrin," 
Wagner;  Hungarian  Rhapsody  No.  2,  Liszt.  Conductor, 
Theodore  Thomas. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"Lohengrin."  Herr  von  Milde  as  Konig  Heinrich.  Conductor, 
Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-fifth  organ  recital. 
Fugue,  G  minor  (Book  III,  Novello's  edition),  Bach;  Allegretto, 
B  minor,  op.  8,  Henri  Deshayes;  "Pilgrim's  Lane,"  Berthold 
Tours  (Miss  Anna  L.  Kelly);  Interlude,  D  major,  op.  n, 
Algernon  Ashton;  March,  B-flat,  Th.  Salome;  "Ave  Maria," 
Franz  (Miss  Kelly);  Prelude,  "Lohengrin,"  Wagner  (arranged 
by  Sulze) ;  Senate  Pontificale,  Lemmens. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert,  forty- 
sixth  season,  of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  Overture, ' '  Leonore, 
No.  2,"  Beethoven;  Concerto  for  violoncello,  Victor  Herbert 
(played  by  the  composer) ;  Symphony  No.  2,  D  major,  op.  73, 
Brahms;  Songs:  "  Mondnacht"  and  "  Ich  kann's  nicht  fassen, 
nichtglauben/' Schumann,  and  "Standchen"  and  "Ungeduld," 

(56) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON   1887-1888.  [December. 

Schubert  (Miss  Gertrude  Griswold) ;    Vorspiel,  "Die  Meister- 
singer,"  Wagner.     Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

The  violoncello  concerto  was  introduced  in  place  of  the  scene 
from  "  Euryanthe,"  "Wo  berg  ich  mich?"  which  was  announced  for 
Herr  Emil  Fischer,  but  who  became  hoarse  after  the  public  rehearsal 
on  the  preceding  day. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Heinrich  Botel  in 
"  Die  Hugenotten." 

Monday,  Twelfth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Halevy's 
"Jiidin."  Conductor,  Walter}.  Damrosch. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  Concert  by  the  Boston  Sym- 
phony Orchestra.  Overture,  "Freischlitz,"  Weber;  Air  from 
"Achilleus,"  Bruch  (Miss  Gertrude  Edmands) ;  Prelude,  Adagio 
and  Gavotte,  Bach  (arranged  for  string  orchestra  by  Bachrich) ; 
Funeral  March,  Schubert  (transcribed  for  orchestra  by  Liszt) ; 
Songs:  "The  Old  Song,"  Grieg,  and  "The  Young  Nun," 
Schubert  (Miss  Edmands) ;  Symphony  No.  2  in  D,  Beethoven. 
Conductor,  Wilhelm  Gericke. 

Tuesday,  Thirteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  by  Josef 
Hofmann.  Overture,  "  Freischiitz,"  Weber;  Concerto  in  D 
minor,  Mozart  (Master  Hofmann);  Air  from  "Traviata,"  Verdi 
(Signer  De  Anna) ;  "  Faust  Fantasia,"  for  violin,  Sarasate  (Miss 
Nettie  Carpenter) ;  Duo  for  two  pianofortes,  Kalkbrenner  (Mas- 
ter Hofmann  and  his  father,  Casimir  Hofmann) ;  ' '  Walkiiren- 
ritt,"  Wagner;  "O  mio  Fernando,"  Donizetti  (Mme.  Helene 
Hastreiter) ;  Pianoforte  Solos :  Nocturne,  Mazurka  and  Waltz, 
Chopin  (Master  Hofmann);  "If  with  all  your  hearts," 
Mendelssohn  (Theodor  Bjorksten) ;  Polacca,  Weber-Liszt  (Mas- 
ter Hofmann);  Coronation  March  from  "Die  Folkunger," 
Kretschmer.  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

(57) 


December.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON   1887-1888. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Carri  brothers, 
Ferdinand,  violin,  and  Hermann,  pianoforte.  Sonata  for  violin 
and  pianoforte,  D  minor,  op.  2,  Xaver  Scharwenka;  "  Serenade 
Venetienne,"  Svendsen,  and  "Early  Love,"  Van  der  Stucken 
(Mme.  Kate  de  Jonge  Levett);  Nocturne,  op.  28,  Meyer- 
Hellmund,  and  Minuetto,  op.  18,  Sgambati;  Grand  Polonaise, 
No.  2,  op.  21,  for  violin,  Wieniawski;  Polonaise,  A-flat,  for 
pianoforte,  Chopin;  Cavatina  and  Gavotte,  No.  i,  for  violin, 
Carl  Bohm;  "All  Souls'  Day,"  Lassen,  and  "The  Maiden  and 
the  Butterfly,"  Eugene  d' Albert  (Madame  Levett);  Trio, 
A  minor,  op.  24,  Henselt  (Carri  brothers  and  Mr.  Bareuther). 

CALVARY  BAPTIST  CHURCH.  8  p.  m.  Barnby's  Scriptural  Idyl, 
"  Rebekkah,"  performed  by  the  choir  of  the  church,  with  organ 
and  pianoforte  accompaniment,  under  the  direction  of  Miss 
Kate  S.  Chittenden,  organist.  Solos,  Mrs.  Evelina  Hartz, 
D.  A.  Haynes,  and  C.  J.  Bushnell. 

Wednesday,  Fourteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Gounod's 
"Faust."  Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8p.m.  German  opera.  Herr  Botel  in  "  Die 
Hugenotten." 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  of  four  concerts  by  the  Boston 
Symphony  Orchestra.  Conductor,  Wilhelm  Gericke. 

The  programme  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  concert  in  Brooklyn 
on  the  preceding  Monday. 

Thursday,  Fifteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  3  p.  m.  Concert  by  Josef  Hofmann. 
Overture, ' '  Mignon, "  Thomas ;  ; '  Concertstiick, "  Weber  (Master 
Hofmann);  " Vieni  sua  1'onda,"  Sapio  (Mme.  Helene  Hast- 
reiter) ;  "Chant  Polonais,"  Chopin-Liszt  (Master  Hofmann); 
Overture,  ' '  William  Tell, "  Rossini ;  Pianoforte  Solos :  Etude, 

(58) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \December. 

Paganini-Schumann, "  Vogel  als  Prophet,"  Schumann,  Toccata, 
Rubinstein  (Master  Hofmann);  "  Non  piu  andrai,"  Mozart 
(Signer  De  Anna) ;  Rondo  Brillante,  Mendelssohn  (Master 
Hofmann);  March  from  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner.  Conductor, 
Adolph  Neuendorff. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
sixth  organ  recital.  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  A  minor  (Book  II, 
No.  8),  Bach;  Adagio  from  the  Symphony  in  G  (Letter  Q), 
Haydn  (arranged  by  Best) ;  Sonata,  E-flat,  op.  6,  Christian 
Fink;  Priere,  in  A,  op.  64,  No.  2,  C.  V.  Alkan  (aine) ;  Scherzo 
in  F,  op.  8,  No.  i,  Henri  Deshayes;  Impromptu  Pastorale, 
op.  27,  Dudley  Buck;  Overture,  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner 
(arranged  by  Mr.  Warren). 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8 130  p.  m.  First  private  concert  of  the 
Rubinstein  Club  (women's  voices).  "The  Water  Nymph" 
Rubinstein  (solo,  Mrs.  Sarah  Baron  Anderson);  Introduction 
and  Saltarello  from  the  Quartet  in  G  minor,  op.  27,  Grieg 
(Beethoven  String  Quartet);  "Twitter,  twitter,"  Sturm;  "The 
Chimes,"  Macy;  "Found,"  Osgood;  "German  Shepherds' 
Song,"  Kienzl;  Harp  Solo,  "Autumn,"  Thomas  (Miss  Maud 
Morgan);  "Visions,"  Sucher  (solos,  Miss  Marie  S.  Bissell, 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Macy);  "Summer  Nights,"  Heinrich  Hofmann; 
"  Du  bist  wie  eine  Blume,"  and  "Die  Lerche,"  Rubinstein 
(Miss  Bessie  Howell  Grovesteen) ;  "The  Lotus  Flower," 
Rubinstein;  "  Sweetly  sang  the  Bird,"  Rubinstein;  Solos  for 
violoncello :  Andante  Religiose,  Volkmann.  Gavotte,  De  Swert 
(Adolf  Hartdegen);  "Song  of  the  Winds,"  R.  Becker  (solos, 
Mrs.  Annie  Norton  Hartdegen).  Conductor,  William  R.  Chap- 
man. 

Friday,  Sixteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Siegfried."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Herr  Botel  in  "  Die 
Hugenotten." 

(59) 


December.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Saturday,  Seventeenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Halevy's 
"Jiidin."  Fraulein  Minnie  Dilthey  as  Eudora.  Conductor, 
Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-sixth  organ  recital. 
Symphony  from  the  "Christmas  Oratorio,"  Bach;  Offertory 
on  two  Christmas  Hymns,  op.  19,  No.  2,  Guilmant;  Airs: 
"For  know  ye  not,"  and  "O  Lord!  have  mercy,"  Mendels- 
sohn (Francis  Fisher  Powers);  "Das  Kindleinwiegen "  (varia- 
tions on  a  Folksong,  played  in  the  principal  churches  of  Breslau 
every  Christmas  eve,  by  endowment),  Berner-Hesse;  Angelus, 
F  minor,  op.  16,  No.  2,  Auguste  Dupont;  "Christmas,"  Harry 
Rowe  Shelley  (Mr.  Powers) ;  Cantilene  Nuptiale,  A-flat,  No.  1 1 , 
Theodore  Dubois ;  Fantasia  on  ancient  Christmas  Carols,  W.  T. 
Best. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert,  tenth 
season,  of  the  Symphony  Society.  Symphony  in  F,  No.  3, 
op.  90,  Brahms ;  Terzetto  for  two  violins  and  viola,  Dvorak ; 
Concerto  for  pianoforte,  Henselt  (Mme.  Fanny  Bloomfield 
Zeissler) ;  Symphony  in  C,  No.  i,  op.  21,  Beethoven.  Con- 
ductor, Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

The  terzetto  was  played  by  all  the  violins  and  violas  of  the 
orchestra,  and  was  given  for  the  first  time. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert,  thirtieth 
season,  of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Beethoven 
programme.  Overtures,  "  Leonore,"  Nos.  i,  2,  and  3 ;  Concerto 
for  pianoforte,  No.  5,  E-flat,  op.  73,  (Fraulein  Adele  Aus  der 
Ohe);  Symphony,  No.  7,  A  major,  op.  92.  Conductor,  Theo- 
dore Thomas. 

STANDARD  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Last  performance  of  "Dorothy," 
brought  forward  on  November  5th. 


(60) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON   1887-1888.  {December. 

Sunday,  Eighteenth. 

ARION  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the  Mannergesangverein 
Arion.  Overture, "  Konig  Manfred,"  Reinecke ;  " Normannen- 
zug,"  Max  Bruch  (solo,  Franz  Remmertz) ;  Concerto  for  piano- 
forte, E-flat,  No.  i,  Liszt  (Fraulein  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe) ;  "Der 
Ritt  in's  Waldgeheg,"  Wilhelm  Sturm;  Scherzo,  for  orchestra, 
Otto  Floersheim;  Melody,  "  Im  Friihling,"  for  strings,  Grieg; 
Slavonic  Dance,  Dvorak ;  Cavatina  from  "  L'Africaine,"  Meyer- 
beer, and  Love  Song  from  "  Die  Walktire,"  Wagner,  (Heinrich 
Duzensi) ;  "  Salamis,"  Gernsheim  (solo,  Mr.  Remmertz).  Con- 
ductor, Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 

Monday,  Nineteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "  Der 
Trompeter  von  Sakkingen."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Tuesday,  Twentieth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  fourth  Symphony 
Concert.  Overture, "Bride  of  Messina, "Schumann;  Serenade, 
No.  2,  F  major,  op.  63,  Volkmann;  Concerto  for  pianoforte, 
No.  2,  A  major,  Liszt  (Fraulein  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe) ;  Symphony, 
"  Im  Walde,"  op.  153,  Raff.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

THALIA  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Farewell  benefit  performance  of  Hein- 
rich Botel.  "  Die  Hugenotten." 

Wednesday,  Twenty-first. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"  Tannhauser. "  Fraulein  Meisslinger  as  Venus.  Conductor, 
Anton  Seidl. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  of  the  Gounod  Vocal  Society. 
Air  and  variations  for  organ,  Guilmant  (William  Edward  Mul- 
ligan); "Ave  Maria,  "Gounod;  Aria  from  '  'II  Bravo  di  Venezia," 
Mercadante  (Emil  Coletti);  Romance  from  the  E  minor 

(61) 


December, .]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Concerto,  Chopin,  and  Largo  from  the  Sonata,  op.  10,  No.  3, 
Beethoven,  arranged  for  violin,  violoncello,  organ,  and  piano- 
forte (Eduard  Herrman,  Frederick  Bergner,  Mr.  Mulligan,  and 
Carl  Walter) ;  Songs  :  ' '  Love's  Dream  "  Martin  Roeder,  and 
"The  Daily  Question,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Miss  Josephine 
Le  Clair) ;  Rondo,  in  B  minor,  for  two  pianofortes,  Carl  Walter 
(Mr.  Walter  and  Emilio  Agramonte) ;  Duo  and  chorus  from 
"  Mary  Magdalen,"  Martin  Roeder  (Miss  Le  Clair,  Mr.  Coletti 
and  society) ;  Forty-second  Psalm,  Mendelssohn  (soprano  solo, 
Madame  Di  Carlo).  Conductor,  William  Edward  Mulligan. 

Thursday,  Twenty-second. 

STEIN  WAY  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Pianoforte  recital  by  Emanuel  Moor. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  A  minor,  Bach-Liszt;  Sonata,  C  major, 
op.  53,  Beethoven;  Song,  "Desire,"  Moor  (Miss  Jennie 
Dutton) ;  Nocturne,  B-flat  minor,  Prelude,  E  minor,  Prelude 
B  minor,  Chopin;  Songs:  "To  Zuleika"  and  "To  the  Wind," 
Moor  (Miss  Dutton);  Suite  No.  2,  Moor;  Consolation,  Noc- 
turne, D  major,  Two  Hungarian  Dances,  Moor. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.m.  Concert  by  Josef 
Hofmann.  "  Huldigungsmarsch,"  Wagner;  Sonata,  C-sharp 
minor,  op.  27,  No.  2,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann);  Fantaisie 
Caprice,  Vieuxtemps  (Miss  Nettie  Carpenter) ;  Pianoforte 
Solos:  "  Les  Larmes,"  Josef  Hofmann,  Polonaise  and  Waltz, 
Chopin  (Master  Hofmann);  Selections  from  "Sylvia,"  Delibes; 
Air  from  "Dinorah,"  Meyerbeer  (Signor  De  Anna);  "Concert- 
stuck,"  Weber  (Master  Hofmann);  "Galop  Chromatique," 
Liszt.  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

Friday,  Twenty-third. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Weber's 
"Euryanthe."  Cast:  Konig  Ludwig  VI,  Elmblad;  Adolar, 
Alvary;  Euryanthe,  Fraulein  Lehmann;  Lysiart,  Fischer; 
Eglantine,  Fraulein  Brandt;  Rudolph,  Ferenczy;  Bertha,  Frau- 
lein Dilthey.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

(62) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [December. 

To  all  intents  and  purposes  Weber's  opera  was  new  to  the 
American  stage.  The  representation  of  the  work  twenty-four  years 
ago  under  the  direction  of  Carl  Anschiitz  in  Wallack's  Theatre,  at 
Broadway  and  Broome  street,  has  no  significance  in  a  discussion  of  the 
relation  which  it  bears  toward  the  art-taste  and  activities  of  to-day, 
and  is  to  be  mentioned  only  in  deference  to  the  integrity  of  history 
and  as  a  tribute  to  the  zeal  of  the  German  musicians  and  amateurs 
of  that  day.  No  one  who  had  deservedly  appreciated  the  perform- 
ances at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  during  the  last  three  seasons 
could  be  grudging  in  the  payment  of  this  tribute,  for  they  have 
after  all  been  only  a  realization  of  the  hopes  of  Anschiitz, 
Bergmann,  Neuendorff,  and  their  supporters,  to  whom  in  artistic 
endeavor  Mr.  Damrosch  stood  in  the  direct  line  of  succession. 
It  was  a  beautiful  act  of  devotion  to  produce  ' '  Euryanthe  "  at  that 
time,  and  had  it  been  possible  to  break  down  the  barriers  of 
fashion  and  reach  the  heart  of  the  public  the  history  of  the  lyric 
theatre  in  America  during  two  decades  might  have  been  made  to 
read  differently.  ' '  Tannhauser  "  and  "  Lohengrin  "  were  produced 
in  the  same  manner,  and  even  "Die  Walkiire,"  but  "  Lohengrin" 
was  popularized  by  the  subsequent  performances  of  Italian  com- 
panies, and  "Tannhauser"  and  "Die  Walkiire"  had  to  wait  for 
appreciation  until  fortuitous  circumstance  caused  fashion,  fame,  and 
fortune  to  smile  upon  the  German  establishment. 

It  was  a  benignant  dispensation  which  preserved  "Euryanthe" 
from  representation  in  the  interval.  The  work  is  one  which  it  is 
impossible  to  approach  without  affection,  but  appreciation  of  all  its 
beauties  is  conditioned  upon  the  acceptance  of  theories  touching4 
the  purpose,  construction,  and  interpretation  of  the  lyric  drama 
which  are  only  now  obtaining  validity  amongst  us.  Indeed,  there 
are  aspects  of  the  case  in  which  "Euryanthe,"  with  all  its  affluence 
of  melody  and  all  its  potency  of  romantic  and  chivalric  expression, 
is  yet  farther  removed  from  the  understanding  and  affections  of  our 
public  than  the  dramas  of  Wagner.  We  must  not  deceive  ourselves 
concerning  the  meaning  of  the  phenomena  which  we  have 
witnessed  of  late.  In  Wagner's  works  there  is  so  much  external 
splendor,  so  much  scenic  embellishment,  so  much  orchestral  pomp, 
so  much  that  is  attractive  to  sight  and  hearing,  that  delight  in  them 
may  exist  independently  of  a  recognition  of  their  deeper  values. 

(63) 


December.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

And  Wagner's  dramas  are  all  admirable  as  plays;  masterly  in  con- 
struction, edifying  in  their  exhibition  of  dramatic  types.  They 
present  themselves  always  as  if  with  a  conscious  pride  in  their 
ability  to  stand  the  closest  scrutiny,  for  the  principles  of  dramatic 
construction  which  they  exemplify  have  held  approval  ever  since 
the  days  of  ^Eschylus.  Weber's  "Euryanthe"  comes  before  us 
in  a  different  spirit;  modestly  conscious  of  grievous  dramatic 
defects,  and  pleading  for  pardon  even  while  demanding  with  appro- 
priate dignity  recognition  of  the  soundness  and  beauty  of  the 
principles  that  underlie  its  music  and  the  wondrous  tenderness, 
sincerity,  and  intensity  of  its  expression  of  passion.  When  it  was 
first  brought  forward  in  Vienna  in  October,  1823,  Castelli,  a  German 
poet  and  librettist,  observed  that  it  was  come  fifty  years  before  its 
time.  He  spoke  with  a  voice  of  prophecy.  It  was  not  until  the 
fifty  years  had  expired  that  ' '  Euryanthe "  really  came  into  its 
rights,  and  it  was  the  light  reflected  upon  it  by  the  works  of 
Weber's  great  successor  at  Dresden  that  disclosed  in  what  those 
rights  consisted.  Now  the  critical  voices  of  the  world  are  agreed 
in  pronouncing  "Euryanthe"  to  be  the  starting-point  of  Wagner, 
and  as  the  latter's  works  grow  in  appreciation,  "  Euryanthe"  shines 
with  ever-increasing  effulgence.  It  is  fortunate,  therefore,  that 
before  the  work,  which  cost  its  creator  some  of  his  richest  heart's 
blood,  was  presented  to  an  American  audience  for  judgment,  that 
audience  had  opportunities  to  acquire  the  knowledge  and  the  spirit 
necessary  to  an  understanding  of  it.  It  was  doubly  fortunate  that 
the  day  was  delayed  until  artists  were  found  to  whom  the  interpre- 
tation was  a  labor  of  love.  No  work  in  the  Metropolitan  repertory 
was  prepared  with  greater  patience,  self-sacrifice,  zeal,  and  affection 
than  "Euryanthe,"  and  the  spontaneous,  hearty,  and  evidently 
sincere  approval  to  which  the  audience  gave  expression,  must  have 
been  as  sweet  incense  to  Herr  Seidl  and  the  forces  that  he  directed. 
The  woes  which  • '  Euryanthe "  has  endured  are  all  due  to  the 
book  of  the  opera.  It  would  be  delightful  if  one  might  read  or 
write  an  estimate  of  the  work  without  being  confronted  by  the 
spectre  conjured  up  by  Helmine  von  Chezy's  incompetency;  but 
the  most  pious  determination  to  this  end  is  of  no  avail.  The 
dreadful  thing  can  be  exorcised  only  by  being  confronted.  The 
story  underlying  the  play  is  the  ' '  Histoire  de  Gerard  de  Nevers 

(64) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {December. 

et  de  la  belle  et  vertueuse  Euryante  de  Savoye,  sa  mie,"  which 
Boccaccio  and  Shakespeare  ("  Cymbeline  ")  used  before  it  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Chezy.  As  it  presents  itself  on  the  stage  the  story 
will  not  take  long  in  the  telling.  Euryanthe  is  betrothed  to  Adolar^ 
who  wagers  his  title  and  estates  against  those  of  Lysiart  on  the 
constancy  of  her  love  and  her  fidelity  to  her  vows.  Foiled  in  his 
wicked  enterprise,  Lysiart  aided  by  Eglantine  (a  she-devil  who 
desires  the  ruin  of  Euryanthe,  moved  by  jealous  love  of  Adolar), 
obtains  some  seeming  proofs  of  guilt  and  claims  the  stakes.  Con- 
fronted with  the  evidence  Euryanthe  is  speechless,  and  Adolar  is 
convinced  of  her  guilt.  He  leads  her  into  a  dreary  spot  in  the 
mountains  to  kill  her,  but  spares  her  life  at  sight  of  her  devotion 
when  he  is  threatened  by  a  monstrous  serpent.  Yet  he  leaves  her 
to  die  in  the  lonely  place.  There  she  is  found  by  the  King  while 
on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  to  him  she  gives  the  explanation  which, 
for  a  reason  that  must  remain  unknown  till  chaos  be  come  again, 
she  neglected  to  give  her  husband.  The  King  promises  to  restore 
her  to  Adolar,  but  excess  of  joy  throws  her  into  a  trance  which 
is  mistaken  for  death.  Adolar  returns  to  his  estates,  and  finding 
Lysiart  about  to  marry  Eglantine,  suspects  them  of  the  plot  to  traduce 
his  wife.  Being  confirmed  in  his  suspicions  by  some  wild  ravings 
of  the  conscience-stricken  Eglantine,  he  draws  against  Lysiart,  when 
the  King  appears  with  the  story  of  Euryanthe's  death.  Eglantine 
hoping  yet  to  win  Adolar,  spurns  Lysiart,  who  stabs  her  to  death 
and  is  himself  led  off  to  punishment,  as  Euryanthe  recovers  at  once 
consciousness  and  a  husband. 

No  affection  for  Weber  and  his  genius,  no  degree  of  admiration 
for  the  loveliness  and  tenderness  with  which  he  has  endowed  his 
heroine,  can  reconcile  the  libretto  with  the  most  rudimentary 
demands  of  reason  and  coherency.  The  attitude  of  the  hero  and 
heroine  to  a  mystery  which  is  outside  the  action,  and  cannot  be 
brought  into  sympathetic  relationship  with  the  spectators,  is  the  real 
motive  of  the  conduct  of  Adolar  and  Euryanthe.  Adolar's  sister 
Emma  has  killed  herself  by  drinking  poison  from  a  ring  through 
grief  at  the  death  of  her  lover  Udo.  The  crime  of  self-murder 
prevents  her  union  with  Udo,  and  her  ghost  haunts  the  vault  in 
which  her  body  lies,  there  to  be  at  unrest  until  tears  of  innocent 
suffering  falling  on  the  fatal  ring  accomplish  expiation  for  the  crime. 

(65) 


December.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

The  confiding  of  this  secret  to  Eglantine  is  Euryanthe' s  only  wrong ; 
the  proof  that  seems  so  damning  to  Adolar  is  nothing  more  than 
the  ring  stolen  by  Eglantine  from  Emma's  tomb.  To  give  happiness 
to  a  ghost  Lysiart  and  Eglantine  act  like  incarnate  fiends,  Euryanthe 
refuses  to  speak  when  a  word  would  save  her,  and  Adolar,  while 
protesting  his  willingness  to  stake  the  world  on  her  constancy, 
accepts  the  ring  and  Euryanthe' s  confession  that  she  had  broken  her 
vow  of  secrecy  touching  Emma's  death  as  proofs  of  her  wantonness. 
What  an  idiotic  complication  was  here  created  by  the  prudery 
of  a  German  blue-stocking  in  order  to  avoid  Shakespeare's  simple 
expedient,  the  "mole,  cinque-spotted,"  an  expedient  which  instead 
of  bringing  immodesty  into  the  play  really  snows  whiteness  on 
Imogen's  pure  character. 

All  that  could  be  done  to  give  coherency  to  the  book  was  done 
by  Herr  Seidl  down  to  the  restoration  of  Weber's  strange  device 
of  exhibiting  a  tableau  during  the  largo  episode  in  the  overture. 
This  device  has  been  ignored  in  nearly  all  the  German  opera  houses. 
Given  a  public  with  a  poetical  imagination,  and  familiar  with  the 
music,  there  is  no  question  that  the  tableau  is  profoundly  impressive. 
The  picture  disclosed  by  the  preliminary  rising  of  the  curtain  is  the 
interior  of  the  tomb,  with  Euryanthe  in  prayer  beside  Emma's  coffin. 
Weber  wished  also  to  have  Eglantine  seen  playing  the  spy  over 
Euryanthe 's  actions.  In  accordance  with  purposes  that  have  since 
become  obvious  to  all  intelligent  listeners  the  music  which  accom- 
panies this  tableau — music  of  transcendent  beauty,  full  of  the  mys- 
ticism of  the  ghostly  tale — tells  its  story  whenever  it  occurs  in  the 
opera.  In  this  there  is  something  fascinating,  it  is  true,  but  alas ! 
it  serves  only  to  emphasize  the  fundamental  weakness  of  the  plot. 

There  is  no  clearer  or  more  truthful  definition  of  "Euryanthe" 
than  that  which  has  come  down  to  us  from  Weber  himself. 
' ' '  Euryanthe '  is  a  simple,  earnest  work,  which  strives  for  nothing 
save  truthfulness  of  expression,  passion  and  delineation  of  char- 
acter; it  lacks  the  varied  changes  and  stimulating  agencies  of  its 
predecessor" — that  is  to  say  of  '  'Der  Freischiitz. "  These  are  Weber's 
own  words,  and  they  are  only  slightly  expanded  and  emphasized  by 
the  memorable  reply  which  he  made  when  applied  to  by  a  society 
in  Breslau  for  permission  to  perform  the  work  in  concert  form : 
' ' '  Euryanthe '  is  a  purely  dramatic  attempt  which  rests  for  its 

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THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [December. 

effectiveness  upon  the  cooperation  of  all  the  sister  arts,  and  will 
surely  fail  if  robbed  of  their  help."  Here  we  have  stated  in  the 
plainest  and  most  succinct  terms  the  foundation  principle  of  the 
modern  German  lyric  drama.  Unlike  Wagner,  Weber  did  not 
pursue  his  convictions  to  their  extremity  but  returned  in  ' '  Oberon  " 
to  the  simpler  operatic  style ;  but  this,  I  imagine,  was  largely  because 
of  his  wish  to  adapt  himself  to  the  customs  of  the  English  stage  and 
the  taste  of  the  people  for  whom  he  composed  his  fairy  opera. 
For  all  that  he  adhered  to  his  belief  in  the  necessity  of  an 
intimate  and  affectionate  relationship  between  poetry  and  music  in 
opera.  In  one  of  those  interesting  English  letters  which  he  wrote 
to  Planche  while  setting  the  latter's  book  of  "Oberon"  he  says: 
"Poets  and  composers  live  together  in  a  sort  of  angel's  marriage 
which  demands  a  reciprocal  trust."  It  is  the  beautiful  manner  in 
which  he  has  wedded  the  drama  with  music  that  makes  "  Euryanthe  " 
a  work  which  seems  at  times  almost  ineffable.  There  is  no  groping 
in  the  dark  such  as  might  have  been  expected  in  the  case  of  a  path- 
finder. Weber  is  showing  the  way  to  hitherto  undreamed-of  possi- 
bilities and  means,  yet  his  hand  is  steady,  his  judgment  all  but 
unerring.  The  eloquence  and  power  of  the  orchestra  as  an  expositor 
of  the  innermost  sentiments  of  the  drama  are  known  to  him.  Witness 
his  use  of  it  in  the  spectral  episode  already  referred  to,  in  Lysiarfs 
great  air,  "Wo  berg  ich  mich?"  in  Euryanthe 's  recital  of  the  secret, 
Eglantine's  distraught  confession,  and  more  striking  than  anywhere 
else  in  the  wondrously  pathetic  scene  in  the  third  act  after 
Adolar's  desertion,  and  the  instrumental  introduction  to  that  act 
in  which  is  to  be  found  the  germ  of  one  of  Wagner's  most  telling 
devices.  (How  palpable  is  the  loan  made  by  this  introduction  to 
the  first  scenes  of  the  third  acts  of  "Tristan"  and  "Siegfried"!) 
Witness  also  how  brilliantly  its  colors  second  the  joyous,  sweeping 
strains  which  publish  the  glories  of  mediaeval  chivalry.  Will  it  ever 
be  possible  to  put  loftier  sentiment  and  sincerer  expression  into  a 
delineation  of  brave  knighthood  and  its  homage  to  fair  woman  than 
inspire  every  bar  of  the  first  act?  Even  "Lohengrin"  might  be 
accused  of  heavy-footed  affectation  in  comparison.  Where,  too, 
could  we  turn  for  more  powerful  expression  of  individual  character, 
through  the  means  of  declamatory  melody,  than  we  find  in  Euryanthe 
and  Eglantine,  and  even  the  parts  where  the  same  degree  of  success 

(67) 


December.']  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

did  not  crown  the  composer's  efforts?  To  Wagner's  honor,  be  it 
said,  that  he  never  denied  his  indebtedness  to  Weber,  but  if  he  had, 
what  would  it  have  benefited  him  while  the  representatives  of  the 
evil  principle  in  "Euryanthe"  and  "Lohengrin"  presented  so  ob- 
vious a  parallel,  not  to  mention  the  drafts  upon  what  might  be  called 
the  external  apparatus  in  so  many  parts  of  the  score  ?  Somewhat 
forced  at  times,  and  weighted  with  the  fruits  of  reflection  the  music 
unquestionably  is,  but  for  each  evidence  of  intellectual  straining  that 
is  offered,  how  many  gems  of  highly  emotionalized  music,  real 
music,  true  music,  expressive  music,  present  themselves  to  charm 
the  hearer,  and  with  what  a  delightful  surprise  does  one  not  detect 
how  the  old-fashioned  cadences  and  roulades  when  they  come,  as 
they  do  with  as  much  naivete  as  in  Mozart,  have  been  infused  with 
a  dramatic  potency  not  before  thought  of.  The  old  charge  of  un- 
expected modulations  and  bizarre  rhythms  can  have  no  force  now, 
and  Adolar's  romance  in  the  French  couplet  style,  Euryanthe's 
entrance  air  with  its  suggestion  of  the  fragrance  of  a  wild  flower,  the 
thrilling  duet  between  the  women,  Adolar's  triumphant  song  in  the 
second  act  with  the  sweeping  phrase  that  lends  such  vivacity  to  the 
overture — all  these  and  many  others  are  so  many  sources  of  spiritual 
refreshment. 

For  the  performance  of  the  work  by  the  singers  and  instru- 
mentalists of  the  Metropolitan,  speaking  in  general  terms,  I 
have  only  words  of  praise.  The  loving  care  and  intelligence 
bestowed  in  the  preparation  bore  the  best  of  fruit.  Flaws  in  plenty 
were  easily  to  be  found  for  the  searching,  but  they  would  not  repay 
enumeration.  The  spirit  of  the  performance  was  profoundly  tragic, 
and  Fraulein  Lehmann's  exhibition,  both  as  to  conception  and 
execution,  made  it  almost  impossible  to  believe,  what  is  nevertheless 
true,  that  she  sang  the  role  of  the  heroine  for  the  first  time  on  this 
occasion.  The  tender  grace  and  sweet  suffering  of  Shakespeare's 
Imogen  had  almost  ideal  publication  in  her  singing  and  acting. 
Naturally  it  was  in  the  pathos  of  the  wild  scene  of  the  mountain 
gorge  (judiciously  pruned  of  as  much  of  the  absurd  serpent  episode 
as  possible)  that  she  won  her  grandest  triumph,  but  at  all  times  she 
showed  a  nice  appreciation  of  the  spiritual  contents  of  the  part. 
Fraulein  Brandt's  impersonation  of  the  character  of  Ortrud  in 
"Lohengrin"  can  never  be  mentioned  but  in  words  of  praise,  and 

(68) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [December. 

it  was  to  have  been  expected  that  she  would  give  a  powerful  inter- 
pretation to  that  part's  obvious  prototype,  Eglantine.  She  quite 
carried  the  house  captive  with  the  intensity  of  her  acting  and  singing 
in  the  second  scene  of  Act  I,  and  was  four  times  recalled.  Alvary 
was  in  good  voice  and  sang  with  splendid  freedom  and  breadth  as 
Adolar,  besides  investing  the  character  with  chivalric  pride  and 
grace  of  bearing.  Herr  Fischer's  Lysiart  completed  the  quartet 
of  principal  performers,  and  was  worthy  of  its  associates.  Vocally 
it  was  superb ;  another  operatic  bass  of  the  same  calibre  is  not  to  be 
found  on  the  stage  I  verily  believe.  Handsome  stage-sets  were 
used,  and  to  relieve  the  gloom  the  wedding  procession  of  Lysiart 
and  Eglantine  was  preceded  by  a  ballet  in  which  the  waltz  part  of 
Weber's  ' '  Invitation  a  la  Valse  "  was  made  to  do  service  instead  of 
the  Pas  de  Cinq  which  Weber  composed  for  the  first  performance  in 
Berlin.  The  evidences  of  popular  approbation  began  after  the 
overture,  and  recalls  followed  every  fall  of  the  curtain. 

Saturday,  Twenty-fourth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas's  fourth  Popular 
Matinee  for  Young  People.  "  Marche  Heroique,"  op.  34, 
Saint-Saens;  "  Eine  Lustspiel  Overture,"  op.  28,  Hermann 
Graedener;  "Eine  volksthiimliche  Suite,"  John  C.  Rietzel 
(i.  Introduction  and  fugue,  "  Es  geht  ein  Rundgesang"; 
2.  Romanza, "In  einem  kiihlen  Grunde";  3.  Scherzo,  "Briider- 
leinfein";  4.  Finale,  "A,B,C,"and  "  Bundeslied  ") ;  Concerto 
for  clarinet,  Carl  Baermann  (Joseph  Schreuers) ;  Prelude, 
"Otho  Visconti,"  Frederic  Grant  Gleason;  Hungarian  Rhap- 
sody No.  14,  Liszt;  Theme  and  variations  from  the  Quartet 
in  D  minor,  Schubert;  "Cosatschoque,"  Dargomijsky;  Over- 
ture, ' '  Tannhauser."  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.m.  German  opera.  "  Der 
Trompeter  von  Sakkingen."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Monday,  Twenty-sixth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"Siegfried."  Herr  Kemlitz  as  Mime.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

(69) 


December, ,]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Tuesday,  Twenty-seventh. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  3  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture,"  Le  Songe  d'une  Nuit  d'ete,"  Thomas;  Con- 
certo, C minor,  No. 3,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann);  "  Melody,'' 
Gastaldon  (Madame  Hastreiter) ;  Rondo  Capriccioso,  Mendels- 
sohn; Romance  from  "Don  Carlos,"  Verdi  (Signer  De 
Anna);  Pianoforte  Solos:  "The  Devil's  Mill,"  Josef  Hofmann; 
Gavotte,  Pirani;  "Spinning  Song,"  Mendelssohn  (Master 
Hofmann);  Selections  from  "Lohengrin,"  Wagner;  Harp 
Solo  (Madame  Sacconi) ;  "  Invitation  a  la  Valse,"  Weber 
(Master  Hofmann,  second  pianoforte,  Casimir  Hofmann) ; 
"Fackeltanz,"  Meyerbeer.  Conductor,  Adolph  NeuendorfT. 

Wednesday,  Twenty-eighth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Weber's 
"Euryanthe."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Thursday,  Twenty-ninth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the 
Oratorio  Society.  Handel's  "  Messiah,"  the  solo  parts  in  the 
hands  of  Madame  Fursch-Madi,  Miss  Gertrude  Griswold,  Miss 
Gertrude  Edmands,  W.  H.  Lawton,  and  Max  Heinrich.  (At 
the  public  rehearsal  on  the  preceding  day  the  contralto  solos 
were  sung  by  Mrs.  Sarah  Baron  Anderson).  Conductor, 
Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  of  Madame  lima  Di 
Murska,  assisted  by  Miss  Nettie  Carpenter,  Madame  Eugenie 
De  Roode  Rice,  Madame  Sacconi,  Theodor  Bjorksten,  Signer 
Carbone,  and  Signor  De  Anna. 

Friday,  Thirtieth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  ' '  Lohen- 
grin." Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

(70) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [December. 

Saturday,  Thirty-first. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Beetho- 
ven's "  Fidelio."  Herr  Elmblad  as  Rocco,  Herr  Sanger  as  the 
Minister.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture,  "  Phedre,"  Massenet;  Concerto  in  D  minor, 
Mozart  (Master  Hofmann);  Air  from  "II  Guarany,"  Gomez 
(Madame  Hastreiter);  Sonata  for  two  pianofortes,  Mozart 
(Master  Hofmann  and  Herr  Casimir  Hofmann);  Prize  Song 
from  "Die  Meistersinger,"  transcribed  for  orchestra,  Wagner; 
Ballad  from  "  L'Africaine,"  Meyerbeer  (Signor  De  Anna); 
Rondo,  A  minor,  Mozart  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Song,  ' '  Love's 
Request,"  Reichardt  (Madame  Hastreiter) ;  Nocturne,  F-sharp 
major,  Mazurka,  F-sharp  minor,  and  Waltz,  Chopin  (Master 
Hofmann);  Coronation  March  from  "Die  Folkunger," 
Kretschmer.  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 


(70 


JANUARY 


Monday,  Second. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Tristan  und  Isolde."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Tuesday,  Third. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert,  tenth  season,  of  the 
Philharmonic  Club.  Divertimento,  op.  53,  for  two  violins, 
flute,  viola,  violoncello,  and  double  bass  (MS.,  composed  for 
and  dedicated  to  the  Philharmonic  Club),  Friedrich  Gerns- 
heim;  Songs:  "Wie  bist  du,  meine  Konigin,"  Brahms,  and 
"  Friihlingslied,"  Jensen  (Mrs.  Emil  Gramm ) ;  Andantino  and 
Allegro  Scherzando,  from  the  Quartet,  op.  i,  Svendsen;  Song, 
"  Im  Freien,"  Schubert  (Mrs.  Gramm);  Quintet,  op.  114 
("Forellen"),  Schubert  (pianoforte,  S.  B.  Mills). 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.m.  Concert  by  Josef 
Hofmann.  Overture,  " Freischiitz, "  Weber;  Concerto  in  C 
major,  No.  i,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann);  Romanza  from 
"Mignon,"  Thomas  (Madame  Hastreiter);  Solos  for  violin: 
Romance,  Svendsen,  and  Mazourka,  Zarzycki  (Miss  Nettie 
Carpenter) ;  Pianoforte  Solos  :  Gigue,  Bach,  Pastorale,  Scarlatti, 
Etude,  Ravina, Waltz,  Hofmann  (Master  Hofmann);  "Reverie 
du  Soir,"  Saint-Saens;  Air  from  "  Fidelio,"  Beethoven  (Signer 
De  Anna);  Fantasia  for  two  pianofortes  on  "  Don  Giovanni," 
Lysberg  (Josef  Hofmann  and  father) ;  Rakoczy  March,  Berlioz. 
Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the 
Damrosch  Symphony  Society.  Two  movements,  Allegro  molto 
vivace,  and  Andante  con  moto,  from  the  Symphony  in  F 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

minor  ("Irish"),  C.  Villiers  Stanford;  Concerto  No.  i,  for 
pianoforte,  E-flat,  Liszt  (Fraulein  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe) ;  "  Le 
Bal"  from  the  Dramatic  Symphony,  Berlioz;  Overture,  "Obe- 
ron,"  Weber;  Songs:  "Es  war  einmal  ein  Konig,"  Grieg,  and 
Swedish  Folksong  (Herr  Johannes  Elmblad) ;  Barcarolle, 
"A  Night  in  Venice,"  Saint-Saens;  "Toreador  et  Andalouse," 
from  the  "  Bal  Costume, "  Rubinstein ;  Closing  Scene  from 
"Das  Rheingold,"  Wagner.  Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

Thursday,  Fifth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
seventh  organ  recital.  Overture, "  Messiah,"  Handel;  Pasto- 
rale (Suite)  in  F,  J.  S.  Bach;  Tempo  di  Menuetto,  op.  99, 
No.  12,  Schumann  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best);  Sonata  in  G 
minor,  op.  29,  Edgar  Tinel;  Allegretto  in  E,  Capocci; 
Cantabile,  Cesar  Franck;  Offertory  on  Christmas  Melodies, 
No.  2,  op.  33,  Guilmant. 

Friday,  Sixth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  First 
performance  in  America  of  "Ferdinand  Cortez,"  by  Spontini. 
Cast :  Ferdinand  Cortez,  Niemann ;  Alvarez,  Alvary ;  High  Priest, 
Fischer;  Telasko,  Robinson;  Montezuma,  Elmblad;  Morales, 
von  Milde;  Amazily,  Fraulein  Meisslinger.  Conductor,  Anton 
Seidl. 

A  dozen  or  more  circumstances  combined  to  give  the  represen- 
tation of  Spontini's  opera,  a  unique  sort  of  interest.  In  one  respect 
it  was  a  good  deal  like  an  attempt  to  resuscitate  a  mummy,  for 
whatever  special  criticism  may  be  able  to  discover  touching  the 
work,  a  simple  hearing  of  the  music  was  sufficient  to  convince  the 
New  York  public  that  Spontini  is  the  most  antiquated  opera  com- 
poser that  had  been  presented  to  their  consideration  for  several 
years.  Compared  with  him  Gluck  and  Mozart  have  marvelous 
freshness,  and  his  contemporary,  Weber,  speaks  in  the  language 
of  to-day.  But  Spontini,  no  matter  what  may  be  thought  of  the 
relation  of  his  music  to  dominant  taste,  stands  as  the  representative 

(73) 


January.']  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

of  a  principle,  and  if  it  had  been  possible  for  the  management  to 
supplement  "Ferdinand  Cortez"  with  "Armida"  or  "Iphigenia  in 
Aulis,"  the  Metropolitan  repertory  would  admirably  have  exempli- 
fied the  development  of  the  dramatic  idea  and  its  struggle  with 
the  simply  lyrical  in  opera  composition.  We  should  have  been 
asked  to  take  the  steps  in  reverse  order,  it  is  true — Wagner,  Weber, 
Spontini,  Gluck — but  this  fact  would  only  have  added  to  the  clear- 
ness of  the  historical  exposition.  The  light  which  significant  art- 
works throw  out  falls  brightest  upon  the  creations  that  lie  behind 
them  in  the  pathway  of  progress.  "  Euryanthe  "  was  appreciated 
this  season  through  the  mediation  of  ' '  Tristan  und  Isolde." 

If  we  put  aside  the  attractiveness  of  "Ferdinand  Cortez  "as  a 
spectacle  (and  I  fancy  the  resurrection  of  the  mummy  was  due  in 
the  first  instance  to  the  picturesqueness  of  its  cerements)  the 
opera  will  be  found  to  have  chiefly  an  antiquarian  interest.  With 
Spontini  the  people  of  America  have  had  but  little  opportunity 
to  become  acquainted.  Of  all  his  music  I  can  recall  only  the 
overtures  to  "La  Vestale"  and  "Olympia,"  and  a  scene  from  the 
second  act  of  the  former  opera  as  having  figured  on  local  pro- 
grammes ;  and  only  the  scene  from  ' '  La  Vestale  "  performed  at  the 
music  festival  in  the  Seventh  Regiment  Armory  in  1882  contributed 
anything  to  popular  knowledge  of  Spontini' s  style  as  an  opera  com- 
poser. ' '  La  Vestale  "  is  admittedly  its  creator's  masterpiece,  and 
its  choice  before  "  Ferdinand  Cortez"  would  have  been  desirable 
but  for  three  reasons :  there  is  more  of  contemporaneous  human 
interest  in  the  book  of  "  Cortez,"  greater  opportunity  for  opulence 
in  stage  attire,  and  it  afforded  Herr  Niemann  an  opportunity 
to  appear  in  a  role  which  maintains  what  little  life  it  has  in  Germany 
through  his  efforts. 

"  Ferdinand  Cortez"  has  an  American  subject.  In  the  long  list 
of  successful  and  once  successful  operas  it  stands  alone  in  this 
respect  unless  we  are  willing  to  accept  "  Un  Ballo  in  Maschera"  in 
the  guise  forced  upon  it  by  the  Roman  censors,  who  compelled 
Verdi  to  transfer  the  theatre  of  his  story  from  Naples  across  the 
Atlantic,  move  the  time  back  a  century  and  make  the  Puritans 
of  Boston  enact  a  tragedy  under  circumstances  about  as  likely 
as  a  celebration  of  the  Dionysian  mysteries.  There  have  been 
half  a  dozen  "Colombo"  operas,  one  of  them  composed  by  the 

(74) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [January. 

brothers  Ricci,  authors  of  the  merry  comic  opera  "  Crispino  e  la 
Comare,"  but  the  great  Christopher  has  not  survived  as  an  operatic 
hero  and  the  Conqueror  of  Mexico  is  the  only  naturalized  American 
with  whom  we  have  a  stage  acquaintance.  Mr.  Stanton  surpassed 
all  his  previous  efforts  in  the  line  of  spectacle  to  celebrate  the  glories 
of  this  American  opera.  The  people  employed  in  the  representation 
rivaled  in  numbers  those  who  constituted  the  veritable  Cortez's 
army,  while  the  horses  came  within  three  of  the  number  that  the 
Spaniard  actually  took  into  Mexico.  This  was  carrying  realism  in 
the  drama  pretty  close  to  absolute  historical  accuracy.  A  finer  sense 
of  dramatic  propriety,  however,  was  exhibited  in  the  care  with 
which  the  pictures  and  paraphernalia  of  the  opera  were  prepared. 
The  ancient  architecture  of  Mexico,  the  sculptures,  the  symbols 
of  various  kinds  carried  in  the  processions,  the  banners  of  Monte- 
zuma  and  some  of  the  costumes  of  his  warriors  were  copied  with 
painstaking  fidelity  from  the  remains  of  the  civilization  which  existed 
in  Mexico  at  the  time  of  the  conquest.  For  this  reason  the  opera 
was  more  than  a  mere  amusement  for  the  antiquary.  A  similar 
striving  for  truthfulness  was  shown  in  the  costumes,  banners,  and 
trappings  of  the  Spaniards,  and  as  one  of  the  scenes  in  the  opera 
(the  destruction  of  his  fleet  by  Cortez  in  order  to  quell  a  mutiny 
among  his  men  and  inspire  them  with  that  spirit  of  desperate 
adventure  which  makes  the  story  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico  read 
almost  like  a  fairy  tale)  is  founded  on  fact  it  was  not  surprising  that 
the  opera  aroused  a  considerable  interest  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
there  is  little  in  the  music  which  meets  the  aesthetic  demands 
of  to-day. 

The  circumstance  that  "Ferdinand  Cortez"  was  brought  for- 
ward for  the  first  time  in  this  country  in  a  season  among  whose 
other  novelties  were  "Siegfried"  and  "Die  Gotterdammerung,'7 
brought  Spontini  and  Wagner  into  such  intimate  association  that 
an  inquiry  is  but  natural  concerning  those  points  of  resemblance 
between  the  men  and  their  creations  which  have  caused  them 
frequently  to  be  represented  as  touching  hands  in  the  story  of  the 
development  of  the  lyric  drama.  To  a  music  student  who  went  to 
the  Metropolitan  representations  with  his  mind  unburdened  by  opin- 
ions drawn  from  the  article  on  Spontini,  contributed  by  Dr.  Spitta 
to  Grove's  Dictionary,  or  the  really  admirable  essay  to  be  found  in 

(75) 


January.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Berlioz's  collected  literary  works,  it  must  frequently  have  seemed 
as  if  the  relationship  between  the  Gallicised  Italian  and  the 
intensely  native  German  was  more  imaginary  than  real.  There 
are  many  things  in  that  department  or  portion  of  music  criticism 
which  has  become  crystalized  into  history  that  are  in  the  same  case. 
How  often  do  we  find  Wagner  discussed  as  if  in  some  mysterious 
manner  he  were  the  direct  heir  in  art  of  Gluck,  when  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  his  relationship  with  Gluck  is  extremely  remote  except  in 
belief  while  his  sonship  to  Weber  is  as  plain  as  day,  as  local 
students  were  taught  by  "Euryanthe." 

There  are  many  more  points  of  resemblance  between  Spontini 
and  Wagner  as  representatives  of  principles  in  art,  than  there  are 
between  their  creations;  and  there  are  traits  of  character  in  which 
the  men  bore  a  strong  likeness  to  each  other.  Before  Wagner 
there  was  probably  no  composer  who  worked  so  constantly,  intelli- 
gently and  earnestly  as  Spontini  to  attain  the  highest  conceivable 
effect  in  interpretation.  When  Wagner  as  a  young  man  journeyed 
to  Berlin  in  the  vain  hope  of  having  the  opera  which  he  had  made 
out  of  Shakespeare's  "Measure  for  Measure"  brought  out  in  one 
of  the  theatres  of  the  Prussian  capital,  the  most  powerful  art 
impression  that  he  received  came  from  a  representation  of  ' '  Ferdi- 
nand Cortez,"  under  the  direction  of  the  composer  at  the  Royal 
opera.  Here  he  saw  a  precision  in  all  departments  that  he  had 
probably  never  dreamed  of — singers,  actors,  stage  machinists,  and 
musicians  all  acting  as  if  inspired  by  the  same  thought,  aim,  and 
emotion.  He  heard  an  orchestra  that  had  been  drilled  to  respond 
only  to  the  will  of  its  leader  and  to  publish  his  intentions  to  the 
utmost  nicety.  An  orchestra  that  could  bring  out  a  fortissimo  like 
the  crashing  of  a  thunderbolt,  and  in  the  next  second  a  pianissimo 
like  the  exhalation  of  a  spirit.  ("Rien  qu'un  souffle!"  was  Spon- 
tini's  customary  direction  to  the  musicians  when  he  wished  them  to 
play  pianissimo.)  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  Berlin  performance  of 
"Cortez"  which  Wagner  listened  to  in  1836  had  a  lasting  influence 
on  his  career.  The  aims  and  effects  of  his  conducting  were  like 
Spontini's,  though  the  means  adopted  were  strikingly  dissimilar. 
There  was  something  of  the  soldier  in  Spontini  and  it  is  not 
unlikely  that  it  was  this  something  that  won  him  the  favor  of 
Napoleon.  The  military  spirit  found  expression  even  in  the  words 

(76) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

which  he  was  wont  to  address  to  his  musicians  during  rehearsal. 
"Allez!"  "En  avant!"  ' ' Martelez ! "  he  would  command  and  when 
after  almost  numberless  rehearsals  he  was  satisfied  to  bring  a  work 
forward  he  would  dismiss  his  forces  from  the  last  rehearsal  with  the 
words:  "A  revoir  au  champ  de  bataille!"  It  was  not  without 
fitness  that  he  was  called  the  "Napoleon  of  Music."  Wagner  was 
a  militant  man,  but  in  another  field  of  activity.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  cause  of  intellectual  and  artistic  progress.  In  February, 
1887,  The  Tribune  published  an  interview  with  Herr  Seidl  in  the 
course  of  which  he  said : 

As  a  conductor,  technically  and  intellectually,  Wagner  can  surely 
be  given  the  highest  place.  He  ruled  his  musicians  completely  with  his 
gestures,  yes,  even  sometimes  with  his  eyes  alone.  He  lifted  them  up 
into  the  fairy  realms  of  his  imagination,  and  confided  tasks  to  them 
which  they  had  never  before  thought  of.  He  inflamed  them  with  his 
fiery  eyes.  An  energetic  sweep  of  his  baton  would  bring  out  a  heavy 
chord  from  his  orchestra  such  as  had  never  been  heard  from  it.  He  could 
charm  as  ravishing  a  piano  out  of  the  brass  instruments  as  out  of  a  violin ; 
and  to  extract  a  pianissimo  simultaneously  from  all  the  instruments  of  the 
orchestra  was  the  most  wonderful  feature  of  his  conducting.  He  was 
able  to  initiate  the  musicians  in  the  melos  of  a  composition  without  super- 
fluous words ;  a  sententious  comparison,  a  witty  remark,  would  throw 
more  light  on  Wagner's  intentions  than  whole  books  which  have  been 
written  about  controverted  passages. 

To  the  judicious  the  significance  of  this  parallel  between  the 
conducting  of  Spontini  and  Wagner  is  plain  enough.  Sincerity, 
devotion,  reverence,  were  the  mainsprings  of  their  efforts  in  the 
interpretation  of  art  works.  These  qualities  are  not  so  common 
among  musicians  now  as  might  be  supposed,  and  they  were  less 
common  when  the  taste  fostered  by  such  composers  as  Rossini 
dominated  the  theatre  and  concert-room;  and  if  one  wishes  really 
to  learn  why  Spontini's  music  acquired  so  much  significance  in 
modern  music  history  he  must  compare  its  spirit  with  that  of  the 
fashionable  operas  of  its  day.  Study  pursued  on  such  lines  will  do 
justice  to  Spontini  without  enjoining  a  fictitious  belief  in  the  present 
value  of  his  creations,  such  as  was  expressed  in  some  of  the  news- 
papers of  New  York.  His  manner  is  antiquated,  and  though  his 
recitative  and  melos  at  times  swing  themselves  up  to  a  lofty  plane 
of  expressiveness,  they  are  on  the  whole  wearisome  and  wanting  in 

(77) 


January]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

real  vital  beauty.  Spontini  was  a  poor  melodist,  and  melody  is 
now,  always  was,  and  always  will  be  in  saecula  sseculorum  the  essence 
of  music,  be  it  lyric  or  dramatic. 

Like  Gluck  and  Cherubini,  Spontini  was  a  foreigner,  who, 
coming  to  Paris,  abandoned  Italian  ideals  and  essayed  to  write 
up  to  the  dramatic  spirit  of  the  unspoiled  element  in  the  French 
people.  The  first  great  battle  in  behalf  of  the  lyric  drama  had 
been  won  by  Gluck,  and  Spontini  adopted  the  works  of  the 
German  reformer  as  his  models.  A  dozen  Italian  operas  at  least 
lay  behind  him  when  he  set  out  upon  his  new  course,  and  it  is 
characteristic  of  the  man  and  of  the  sincerity  of  his  aims,  that 
when  once  he  had  embraced  the  new  art-evangel  he  looked  upon 
his  Italian  scores  only  as  the  toys  of  his  youth.  The  music  of 
Bach,  Handel,  Gluck,  Haydn,  Mozart,  and  finally  Beethoven 
received  the  admiration  of  his  artistic  maturity,  and  only  his 
colossal  vanity  and  egotism,  I  feel  sure,  prevented  him  from  recog- 
nizing the  genius  of  his  rival,  Weber.  In  the  consciousness  of  his 
own  merit  Spontini  was  monumental;  even  Wagner's  colossal 
egotism  seems  insignificant  in  comparison  with  his,  though  there 
is  one  trait  that  the  two  men  had  in  common:  an  unwillingness  to 
recognize  the  excellence  of  their  contemporaries.  When  Spontini 
came  to  Dresden,  in  1844,  to  conduct  his  "  Vestale,"  Wagner  asked 
permission  to  submit  an  opera  score  to  him  for  judgment.  "  Jeune 
homme,"  replied  Spontini,  "what  do  you  want  to  compose?  If 
you  want  Romans,  you  have  my  'Vestale;'  if  you  want  Greeks,  you 
have  my  'Olympia;'  if  you  want  Spaniards,  you  have  my  'Cortez;' 
if  you  want  Indians,  you  have  my  'Nourmahal.'" 

It  is  also  related  by  one  of  Spontini's  biographers  that  being 
forced  to  recognize  the  fact  that  Weber,  Auber,  and  Rossini  had 
been  admitted  to  the  ranks  of  the  dramatic  composers,  through  the 
merits  of  "  Freischutz,"  "  La  Muette,"  and  "William  Tell,"  he  cried 
out  angrily:  "C'est  moi  qui  a  mis  la  brdche,  par  laquelle  ils  mar- 
chent  tous,  tous."  Even  Berlioz,  whose  admiration  for  Spontini 
was  boundless,  and  who  did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  many  of  his  meth- 
ods (as  those  who  heard  ' '  Les  Troyens  a  Carthage  "  in  the  season 
of  1886-1887  will  have  guessed),  records  that  while  Spontini  always 
came  to  hear  his  music  he  never  spoke  of  it  except  on  two  occa- 
sions. In  defining  his  own  style  Berlioz  claimed  that  the  dominant 

(78) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [January. 

qualities  of  his  music  were  passionate  expression,  internal  fire, 
rhythmic  animation,  and  unexpected  changes,  and  he  described 
passionate  expression  as  that  expression  which  largely  strives  to 
reproduce  the  most  inward  meaning  of  the  subject.  The  same 
qualities  he  found  in  Spontini's  music,  toward  which  he  probably 
felt  himself  drawn  quite  as  much  by  the  fact  that  like  Spontini  he 
had  been  obliged  to  do  battle  with  the  narrow-mindedness  and 
pedantry  of  the  Conservatory.  The  criticisms  of  the  professors 
were  directed  against  the  very  things  in  Spontini's  music  which 
Berlioz  admired,  and  which  he  recognized  as  constituting  its  peculiar 
physiognomy.  Chief  of  these  were  the  introduction  of  new  har- 
monies ' '  invented  and  successfully  applied  before  the  wise  men  had 
a  suspicion  of  their  existence,"  and  the  use  of  chords  and  modula- 
tions "  which  custom  had  not  yet  made  public  property."  These 
things  and  certain  unique  features  of  his  instrumentation  were  looked 
upon  as  contributing  to  the  passionate  expression  which  was  Berlioz's 
avowed  aim.  Most  of  them  are  familiar  enough  now  and  caused 
no  surprise  at  the  performances  of  "  Cortez."  The  occasional  shifting 
of  accents  to  unaccented  parts  of  the  bar  may  still  be  recognized  as 
an  excellent  means  for  producing  animation  and  energy,  but  it  has 
ceased  to  astonish,  while  Spontini's  division  of  the  violas,  which  is 
productive  of  really  fine  effects,  is  now  an  every-day  device. 

It  is  only  when  looked  upon  historically  that  "Cortez"  can  be 
found  to  possess  that  energy,  pride,  passion,  and  gracefulness  which 
Berlioz  lauded  in  it,  and  which  still  asserted  sufficient  force  over 
Schumann  to  lead  him  to  record  in  his  theatrical  diary  under  date 
of  July  27,  1848:  "  'Ferdinand  Cortez'  von  Spontini  mit  Entziicken 
zum  erstenmal  gehort." 

Saturday,  Seventh. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Weber's 
"Euryanthe."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-seventh  organ  recital. 
Fugue,  D  minor  (Book  II,  Novello's  edition),  Bach;  Christmas 
March,  E-flat,  Merkel ;  Pastorale  in  G,  W.  T.  Best ;  Offertory 
on  Christmas  Hymns,  op.  33,  No.  2,  Guilmant;  Postlude  in  G, 

(79) 


January.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

G.  M.  Garrett;  "Marche  des  Rois  Mages,"  Theodore  Du- 
bois;  Three  pieces  from  "The  Messiah,"  Handel  (arranged 
by  Lux). 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  Fourth  concert,  tenth 
season,  of  the  Symphony  Society.  Symphony  in  C  major, 
No.  9,  Schubert;  "March  of  Pilgrims,"  from  the  Symphony 
"Harold  in  Italy,"  Berlioz;  Two  movements,  Larghetto  and 
Allegro,  from  the  Concerto  for  Violin,  Beethoven  (Madame 
Camilla  Urso);  "La  Russie,"  Morceau  Symphonique,  Rubin- 
stein. Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

Monday,  Ninth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the  Boston 
Symphony  Orchestra.  Overture,  "  Melusine,"  Mendelssohn; 
Concerto  for  pianoforte,  A  minor,  Schumann  (Fraulein  Adele 
Aus  der  Ohe);  Fragments  from  "Siegfried"  and  "  Gotter- 
dammerung,"  Wagner  (arranged  for  concert  use  by  Hans 
Richter) ;  Symphony  in  D  minor,  No.  2,  Dvorak.  Conductor, 
Wilhelm  Gericke. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Spon- 
tini's  "  Ferdinand  Cortez. "  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Wednesday,  Eleventh. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Ferdi- 
nand Cortez."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  First  pianoforte  recital  by  Conrad 
Ansorge.  Sonatas,  D  minor,  op.  31,  No.  2,  and  E  major, 
op.  109,  Beethoven;  Variations  in  F  minor,  Haydn;  Im- 
promptu, G  major,  Schubert;  Nocturne,  C-sharp  minor,  Cho- 
pin; Hungarian  Rhapsody  No.  12,  Liszt;  Chants  Polonais, 
Chopin-Liszt;  "Halka"  Fantasia,  Tausig. 


(80) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [January. 

Thursday,  Twelfth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
eighth  organ  recital.  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  A  minor  (Book 
IX,  No.  i),  Bach;  Rondeau, "Passacaille,"  B  minor,  Couperin 
(arranged  by  Best);  Sonata  No.  3,  G  major,  op.  88  ("Pas- 
torale"), Rheinberger;  Cantabile  in  C,  Capocci;  "March  of 
the  Magi  Kings,"  Dubois;  Concerto  Fantasia,  D  minor,  R.  P. 
Stewart. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the  Beethoven 
Quartet.  Quartet,  A  minor,  op.  51,  No.  2,  Brahms;  Songs, 
Jensen  (Max  Heinrich);  "  Wiegenlied,"  Marie  Elizabeth;  Al- 
legro non  troppo,  from  Quartet,  op.  90,  No.  2,  Rubinstein; 
Songs,  Schubert  (Mr.  Heinrich);  Quartet,  E-flat,  op.  47,  Schu- 
mann (pianoforte,  Miss  Jessie  Pinney). 

Friday,  Thirteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Siegfried."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Saturday,  Fourteenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  fifth  Popular  (Young 
People's)  Matinee.  Overture,  "Le  Roi  d'Ys,"  Eduard  Lalo 
(new);  Andante  and  Scherzo  from  the  Duo  Sonata,  op.  140, 
Schubert  (transcribed  for  orchestra  by  Joseph  Joachim) ;  Hun- 
garian Dances,  Brahms;  Polonaise  No.  2,  Liszt;  Suite  No.  i, 
op.  39,  M.  Moszkowski.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Spon- 
tini's  "Cortez."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-eighth  organ  re- 
cital. Chorale  Vorspiel,  ' '  Christ  unser  Herr  zum  Jordan 
kam"  (Book  VI,  Peters's  Edition),  Bach;  Echo  Andante,  op.  19, 
Dienel;  Overture,  C  minor,  op.  123,  Merkel;  Fantasie  in  E, 
Th.  Dubois ;  Sarabande,  from  the  fourth  Suite  for  violoncello, 
Bach;  Benediction  Nuptiale,  op.  9,  Saint-Saens ;  Sonata  No.  4, 
op.  98,  Rheinberger. 

(81) 


January.^  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert,  forty- 
sixth  season,  of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  Suite,  D  major, 
No.  3,  Bach;  Symphonic  Prologue  to  Shakespeare's  "Othello," 
Arnold  Krug;  Concerto  for  pianoforte,  op.  23,  Tscha'ikowsky 
(Rafael  Joseffy);  Symphony  No.  4,  D  minor,  Schumann.  Con- 
ductor, Theodore  Thomas. 

Sunday,  Fifteenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.m.  Concert  for  the  benefit  of  the  German 
Hospital.  Overture  on  American  airs,  for  the  organ,  Armin 
Schotte  (Mr.  Schotte) ;  Part-song  for  male  voices,  ' '  Schafer's 
Sonntagslied, "  Kreutzer  (Liederkranz  and  Arion) ;  Theme  and 
Variations  from  the  ' '  Kreutzer  "  Sonata,  Beethoven  (Max  Ben- 
dix  and  Conrad  Ansorge);  "Der  Ritt  durch's  Waldgeheg," 
Wilhelm  Sturm,  and  "  Alt-Niederlandisches  Lied,"  Kremser 
(Arion  Society);  Air  from  "Undine,"  Lortzing  (Emil  Fischer); 
Pianoforte  Solos :  Impromptu,  Schubert,  and  ' '  La  Campanel- 
la,"  Liszt  (Herr  Ansorge);  Polacca  from  "Mignon,"  Thomas 
(Fraulein  Lilli  Lehmann);  Gut'  Nacht,  ihr  Blumen,"  Isenmann, 
and  "O  Diarnle  tief  drunt'  im  Thai,"  Fittig  (Liederkranz); 
"Souvenir  des  Alpes,"  for  flute,  Boehm  (Otto  Oesterle);  Songs : 
"Am  Meer,"  Schubert,  and  "  Schonster  Engel"  Graben- 
Hoffmann  (Herr  Fischer);  "Die  Muttersprache,"  Engelsberg 
(Franz  Remmertz,  Arion,  and  Liederkranz) ;  Festival  March, 
organ,  Mackenzie  (Mr.  Schotte).  Conductors,  Frank  Van  der 
Stucken  and  Agricol  Paur. 

Monday,  Sixteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Ness- 
ler's  "Trompeter  von  Sakkingen."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

CASINO.  8  p.  m.  Revival  of  "Erminie,"  a  musical  comedy  by 
Harry  Paulton  and  Edward  Jakabowski. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English.  A  per- 
version of  Donizetti's  "Daughter  of  the  Regiment,"  produced 

(82) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

by  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.     Mile.  Zelie  de  Lussan 
in  the  role  of  Marie.     Conductor,  George  Loesch. 
The  opera  was  repeated  every  night  of  the  week  except  Thursday. 

Tuesday,  Seventeenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  3  p.  m.  First  of  three  pianoforte  recitals  by 
Herr  Karl  Klindworth.  Beethoven  programme :  Six  Sonatas, 
namely:  C  minor,  op.  13  ("  Pathetique ") ;  C-sharp  minor, 
op.  27,  No.  2;  A-flat  major,  op. no;  E  major,  op.  109;  C  minor, 
op.  in;  E-flat  major,  op.  81  ("Les  Adieux,  1'  Absence  et  le 
Retour"). 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.m.  Theodore  Thomas's  fifth  Symphony 
Concert.  Symphony  No.  6,  op.  in,  Rubinstein;  Air, "The 
Dawn  still  Lingers"  (from  "Achilleus"),  Bruch  (Miss  Emily 
Winant) ;  Divertissement  a  la  Hongroise,  op.  54,  Schubert  (for 
orchestra  by  Franz  Liszt  and  Max  Erdmannsdorfer) ;  Songs: 
' '  Waldesgesprach"  and  "  Widmung,"  Schumann  (Miss  Winant) ; 
Bacchanale  from  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner.  Conductor,  Theo- 
dore Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert  of  the  Carri  brothers. 
Sonata  for  violin  and  pianoforte,  Pietro  Nardini ;  Air,  "II  va 
venir,"  from  "La  Juive,"  Halevy  (Miss  Effie  Stewart);  Piano- 
forte Solos:  "Die  Forelle,"  Schubert-Heller,  Menuet,  Rudolph 
Niemann  ;  ' '  Othello  "  Fantasia  for  violin,  Ernst ;  Pianoforte 
Solos:  "Der  Gnomentanz,"  Hans  Seeling,  and  Etude  "Ero- 
ica,"  Henselt;  Grand  Polonaise  for  violin,  Laub;  Songs:  "In 
the  Garden"  and  "Chinese  Love  Song,"  Edgar  S.  Kelley; 
Trio,  B-flat  major,  op.  4,  Carl  Goldmark. 

Wednesday,  Eighteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  3  p.  m.  Concert  by  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture,  "Struensee,"  Meyerbeer;  Concerto  for  two 
pianofortes,  Weber  (Josef  and  Herr  Casimir  Hofmann) ;  Violin 
Solos :  Nocturne,  Chopin-Sarasate,  and  Mazurka,  Wieniawski 
(Miss  Nettie  Carpenter);  Romanza, "La  Fioraia,"  Bevignani 

(83) 


/anuary.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

(Mme.  Hastreiter) ;"  Rondo  Capriccioso,"  Mendelssohn  (Josef 
Hofmann);  Introduction  to  the  fifth  act  of  "  Manfred,"  Rein- 
ecke;  Pianoforte  Solos:  Serenade,  " Devil's  Mill,"  Berceuse 
and  Waltz,  Josef  Hofmann  (Master  Hofmann);  Aria  from 
"La  Favorita,"  Donizetti  (Signer  De  Anna);  Harp  Solo, 
(Mme.  Sacconi) ;  Concertstiick,"  Weber  (Master  Hofmann) ; 
Polonaise  No.  2  (for  orchestra),  Liszt.  Conductor,  Adolph 
Neuendorff. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Die 
Walkiire,"  Wagner.  Cast :  Briinnhilde,  Lehmann ;  Fricka, 
Brandt ;  Sieglinde,  Seidl-Kraus  ;  Siegmund,  Niemann  ;  Wotan, 
Fischer  ;  tfunding,  Elmblad ;  Jfelmwige,  Traubmann ;  Wal- 
traute,  Meisslinger ;  Gerhilde,  Brandt ;  Ortlinde,  Klein ;  Sieg- 
rune,  Dilthey  ;  Grimmgerde,  Kemlitz ;  Schivertleite,  Gottich  ; 
Jtossweisse,  Miron.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Herr  Conrad  Ansorge's  second 
pianoforte  recital.  Sonata,  G  major,  op.  14,  No.  2,  and  Va- 
riations, op.  35,  Beethoven ;  Polonaise,  A  major,  Nocturne, 
C  minor,  Chopin;  Barcarolle,  Rubinstein;  Arabesque,  op.  18, 
Schumann;  Rhapsodic  Hongroise  No.  10,  Liszt;  Caprices, 
Paganini-Liszt. 

Thursday,  Nineteenth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
ninth  organ  recital.  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  C  minor,  Johann 
Schneider;  Allegretto  in  D,  from  the  Second  Quartet  in 
D  minor,  Haydn  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best) ;  Minuet,  B-flat, 
Hamilton  Clarke;  Larghetto  in  C,  C.  J.  Frost;  Religious 
March,  E-flat,  G.  A.  Macfarren;  Organ  Symphony,  D  major, 
No.  2,  Widor. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English.  Flotow's 
"Martha,"  performed  by  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company. 
Conductor,  George  Loesch. 


(84) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

Friday,  Twentieth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Beet- 
hoven's "Fidelio."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Saturday,  Twenty-first. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Die  Walkiire."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  2  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Boston 
Ideal  Opera  Company.  Flotow's  ' '  Martha. " 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  forty-ninth  organ  recital. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  A  minor,  Bach;  Anthem,  op.  33,  No.  i, 
and  Scherzo,  op.  16,  No.  4,  Guilmant;  Andante,  A  major, 
C.  V.  Alkan;  Melodic,  C  major,  Salome;  Andante  Cantabile, 
A  major,  and  Marche  Triomphale,  E  major,  Renaud  de  Vilbac; 
Senate  (Pascale)  A  minor,  Lemmens. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Josef  Hofmann. 
Overture,  "Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,"  Nicolai;  Concerto, 
G  minor,  Mendelssohn  (Master  Hofmann,  for  the  first  time  in 
public);  Song:  "Ah,  vieni  sua  Ponda,"  Sapio  (Madame  Hast- 
reiter);  Introduction  and  Rondo  from  the  First  Concerto  for 
violin,  Vieuxtemps  (Miss  Nettie  Carpenter) ;  Pianoforte  Solos  : 
Romanza,  Rubinstein,  Mazurka,  A-flat  major,  and  Waltz,  D-flat, 
Chopin  (Master  Hofmann);  "Les  Preludes,"  Liszt;  Aria  from 
"  Lucrezia  Borgia,"  Donizetti  (Signer  De  Anna);  "Polonaise 
Americaine  "  (I  quote  the  programme  :  ' '  Composed,  scored  for 
orchestra,  and  conducted  by  Josef  Hofmann ") ;  "  Marche 
Heroique,"  Massenet.  Conductor.  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert,  thirtieth 
season,  of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Fugue,  A 
minor,  Bach  (for  strings  by  Joseph  Hellmesberger) ;  Symphony, 
No.  3,  E-flat  ("Rhenish"),  Schumann;  Scene  and  Air  from 
"Euryanthe,"  "Wo  berg  ich  mich?"  Weber  (Herr  Emil 
Fischer);  "Eine  Faust  Overture,"  Wagner;  Song,  "  Der 

(85) 


January.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Wanderer,"  Schubert  (Herr  Fischer);  Morceau  Symphonique, 
"La  Russie,"  Rubinstein.     Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

Monday,  Twenty-third. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"Lohengrin."  Herr  Alvary  as  Lohengrin,  Herr  Emil  Steger  as 
Telramund.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Boston 
Ideal  Opera  Company.  Bizet's  "Carmen."  Conductor,  George 
Loesch. 

Tuesday,  Twenty-fourth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.m.  Theodore  Thomas's  sixth  Symphony 
Concert.  Preludio  "Asrael,"  Franchetti;  Symphony  No.  4, 
E  minor,  Brahms;  Concerto  for  violin,  op.  64,  Mendelssohn 
(Mme.  Camilla  Urso);  Fantasia,  "Liebesnacht,"  Phillip  Schar- 
wenka;  Symphonic  Poem,  "Tasso,"  Liszt.  Conductor,  Theo- 
dore Thomas. 

The  "Preludio"  by  Alberto  Franchetti  was  heard  for  the  first 
time  in  this  country.  Its  presence  in  Mr.  Thomas's  list  was  doubt- 
less due  to  the  favorable  reception  accorded  to  the  composer's  short 
but  melodious  and  well-written  Symphony  in  E  minor  which  Mr. 
Thomas  brought  forward  at  a  concert  of  the  Philharmonic  Society 
on  April  9,  1887.  The  new  composition,  like  the  symphony,  was 
played  from  manuscript.  It  is  the  introduction  to  the  fourth  act  of 
a  mystical  opera  on  Wagnerian  models  which  the  composer,  a  young 
Italian  resident  in  Dresden,  recently  produced.  In  the  title  readers 
of  Oriental  folk-lore  will  recognize  the  name  of  the  Angel  of  Death 
who,  until  a  petition  of  Mahomet  was  granted,  was  wont  to  come 
in  the  body  to  put  the  mark  on  his  elect.  There  are  many  pictur- 
esque Hebrew  and  Turkish  traditions  in  which  Asrael  (or,  as  the 
name  is  commonly  written  in  English,  Azrael)  figures  which  might 
be  utilized  in  an  opera.  That  Signer  Franchetti  is  a  thoroughly 
Teutonized  Italian  was  disclosed  by  his  symphony,  but  this  prelude 
is  several  big  steps  in  advance  of  that  work  on  the  new  German 
road.  It  is  an  ambitious  and  fairly  successful  attempt  at  a  musical 

(86) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

mood-picture  of  large  dimensions,  with  melodies  of  an  unconven- 
tional type,  and  sonorous  instrumentation. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Arthur  Voorhis,  pianist, 
assisted  by  Miss  Carlotta  Pinner  and  an  orchestra  conducted 
by  Frank  Van  der  Stucken.  Overture,  "Konig  Stephan," 
Beethoven;  Concerto  No.  2,  G  minor,  Saint-Saens;  Aria  from 
"Belmont  und  Constanze,"  Mozart;  "  Du  bist  die  Ruh'," 
Schubert- Liszt ;  "Vogel  als  Prophet,"  Schumann;  Tarantelle, 
M.  Moszkowski;  Melody  for  Strings,  Grieg;  "  Dance  of  Reap- 
ers" from  music  to  "The  Tempest,"  Van  der  Stucken;  Songs: 
"Du  bist  mein  All,"  Bradsky,  and  "Cadiz  Maidens,"  Delibes; 
Scherzo  from  the  first  pianoforte  concerto,  Xaver  Scharwenka. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Bos- 
ton Ideal  Opera  Company.  "Daughter  of  the  Regiment." 

Wednesday,  Twenty-fifth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  First 
representation  in  America  of  "Die  Gotterdammerung"  by 
Richard  Wagner.  Cast:  Siegfried,  Albert  Niemann;  Gunther, 
Adolf  Robinson;  Ifagen,  Emil  Fischer;  Alberich,  Rudolph  von 
Milde;  Briinnhilde,  Lilli  Lehmann;  Gutmne,  Auguste  Seidl- 
Kraus;  Woglinde,  Sophie  Traubmann;  Wellgunde,  Marianne 
Brandt;  Flosshilde,  Louise  Meisslinger.  Conductor,  Anton 
Seidl. 

The  drama  of  "Die  Gotterdammerung"  in  one  of  its  phases 
excites  warmer  sympathy  than  any  in  the  Niblung  tetralogy.  In  it 
the  human  element  becomes  really  active  for  the  first  time.  This 
circumstance  Herr  Seidl  accentuated  by  two  bold  excisions.  One 
of  the  criticisms  on  Wagner's  treatment  of  the  Siegfried  legend  is 
that  he  has  sacrificed  all  its  historical  elements  in  order  to  bring  it 
into  closer  relationship  with  Norse  mythology;  has,  in  fact,  made  the 
fate  of  the  forgotten  gods  and  goddesses  of  our  ancestors  the  chief 
concern  of  the  prologue  and  succeeding  dramas.  There  is  some 
force  in  the  objection.  Like  Homer  in  his  "  Iliad,"  Wagner  has  a 
celestial  as  well  as  a  terrestrial  plot  in  his  "Ring  of  the  Niblung," 

(87) 


January.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

and  the  men  and  women  in  it  are  but  the  unconscious  agents  of  the 
good  and  evil  powers  typified  in  the  gods  and  the  niblungs.  The 
criticism,  however,  is  weaker  here  than  in  Germany,  where  ten  or  a 
dozen  dramas  (of  which  the  chief  is  Geibel's  "  Brunhild")  as  well  as 
the  mediaeval  epic  have  accustomed  the  people  to  think  of  their 
national  hero  with  something  like  historical  surroundings.  In  these 
works  the  death  of  Siegfried  is  brought  about  by  his  alliance  with 
the  Burgundians,  whose  seat  was  at  Worms;  and  the  Gunther  of  the 
German  legend  is  easily  identified  with  the  founder  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Burgundy,  King  Gundikar,  who  was  overcome  by  Atilla  and 
died  A.  D.  450.  Wagner's  original  draft  of  "Die  Gotterdammer- 
ung"  (an  independent  drama,  entitled  "The  Death  of  Siegfried") 
followed  the  accepted  lines,  and  it  was  not  until  the  tetralogy  was 
planned  that  the  mythological  elements  from  the  Eddas  were  drawn 
into  the  scheme,  the  theatre  of  the  play  changed,  its  time  pushed 
back  into  a  prehistoric  age,  and  the  death  of  the  hero  made  to 
bring  about  the  destruction  of  the  old  gods — the  Ragnarok  of  the 
Icelandic  tales.  The  connection  between  the  death  of  Siegfried 
and  the  fate  of  the  gods  is  explained  in  the  two  scenes  which  were 
eliminated  from  the  version  given  at  the  Metropolitan.  The  first 
scene  is  the  prologue  in  which  the  Norns  (or  the  "Nornir,"  as 
sticklers  for  correct  orthography  would  write  the  word),  the  Fates 
of  Northern  mythology,  while  weaving  the  golden-stranded  rope  of 
the  world's  destiny,  tell  of  the  signs  of  the  coming  "  Gotterdammer- 
ung" — that  is  to  say,  of  the  Twilight  of  the  Gods.  The  second  is 
an  interview  between  Brilnnhilde  and  Waltraute,  one  of  the  Val- 
kyrias  ("  Valkyrior,"  if  the  sticklers  wish  it  again),  who  comes  to 
urge  her  sister  to  avert  the  doom  that  threatens  the  gods  by  restor- 
ing the  ring  to  the  Rhine-daughters.  Both  scenes  are  highly  sig- 
nificant to  the  plan  of  the  work  as  a  whole,  and  both  have  profound 
beauties  to  those  who  are  steeped  in  Wagnerism,  but  a  public 
unfamiliar  with  German  and  unconcerned  about  Wagner's  deeper 
purposes  can  much  more  easily  spare  than  endure  them. 

This  drama  achieved  an  almost  unparalleled  success  during  the 
remainder  of  the  season  with  which,  I  have  no  doubt,  the  abbrevi- 
ations made  by  Herr  Seidl  had  much  to  do.  The  devotees  of 
Wagner  were  justified  in  their  disappointment  at  the  loss  of  two 
scenes  that  are  highly  important  from  a  dramatic  point  of  view, 

(88) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [January. 

but  it  was  better  to  achieve  success  for  the  representations  by 
adapting  the  drama  to  the  capacity  of  the  public  than  to  sacrifice 
it  bodily  on  the  altar  of  integrity.  Under  existing  circumstances 
an  ideal  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  American  public  toward  Wag- 
ner's work  is  impossible,  and  the  question  to  settle  was  whether 
it  was  not  wiser  to  make  concessions  to  human  nature  while 
striving  to  approach  that  ideal  attitude  than  to  spoil  all  by  a 
stubborn  insistence  on  the  whole  loaf  or  no  bread.  Besides, 
intelligent  criticism  can  point  out  excisions  that  are  absolutely 
beneficial  to  the  Niblung  dramas.  Though  together  they  consti- 
tute a  tetralogy,  Wagner  seems  always  to  have  contemplated  the 
representation  of  each  of  the  dramas  separately,  and  for  the  sake 
of  unity  and  clearness  he  took  occasion  in  each  to  rehearse  all 
the  preceding  incidents  in  the  general  story.  Much  can  be  gained 
by  omitting  these  recapitulations  when  the  dramas  are  given  in 
succession,  as  was  done  a  little  later  in  the  season.  It  ought  not 
to  be  considered  necessary  to  compel  the  audience  to  listen  while 
each  new  personage  is  instructed  in  the  contents  of  the  tetralogy 
from  the  beginning.  It  was  this  defect  that  prompted  a  witty 
critic  in  1876  to  suggest  that,  if  the  play  of  "Die  Walkiire" 
could  not  go  on  without  Wotan's  long  recital  to  Briinnhilde  of 
the  contents  of  "Das  Rheingold,"  he  might  at  least  spare  the 
audience  by  buying  a  libretto  and  permitting  the  Valkyria  to  read 
it  between  the  acts.  On  this  ground  the  dramas  can  be  relieved 
of  much  that  is  only  wearying  to  the  public,  especially  to  a  public 
unfamiliar  with  the  language,  and  unused,  as  yet,  to  contemplating 
a  lyric  drama  as  something  different  from  a  diverting  entertainment. 
There  are  other  instances,  moreover,  in  which  excisions  seem 
really  to  be  a  kindness  to  Wagner  as  well  as  a  relief  to  the  public. 
Herr  Seidl's  omission  of  the  first  scene  in  the  prologue  to  ' '  Die 
Gotterdammerung  "  is  a  case  in  point.  The  picture  of  the  Nornir 
weaving  golden  threads  into  the  rope  of  the  world's  fate  and 
crooning  their  prophecies  as  they  pass  it  from  one  to  the  other, 
then  binding  themselves  together  with  its  broken  ends  and  sinking 
into  the  earth  as  they  contemplate  the  approaching  Twilight  of 
the  Gods  is  full  of  poetical  beauty;  but  it  is  epical  material,  not 
dramatic.  A  symbol  like  the  thread  of  fate  cannot  be  materialized 
without  becoming  ridiculous.  To  this  the  majority  of  judicious 

(89) 


January.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

persons  who  have  witnessed  the  "Norn  scene"  in  European  repre- 
sentations will  bear  testimony.  The  poetical  charm  disappears 
at  the  sight  of  three  women  awkwardly  struggling  with  a  prosaic 
rope  hitched  to  the  limb  of  the  tree  under  which  Briinnhilde 
took  her  long  sleep.  Symbolism  of  this  kind  is  not  the  property 
of  the  dramatist;  it  must  be  left  to  the  epic  poet.  There  is  much 
beauty  in  the  music  of  the  scene  which  it  is  a  pity  to  lose;  so 
there  is  a  wondrous  depth  of  beauty  in  the  scene  between  Wotan 
and  Erda  in  the  third  act  of  "Siegfried,"  in  fact,  the  pages  devoted 
to  it  are  the  most  glowing  in  the  entire  score,  but  had  Herr  Seidl 
been  brave  enough  to  omit  two-thirds  of  it  "Siegfried"  would 
have  been  the  gainer  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  and  the  exchequer 
of  the  Metropolitan  would  have  been  several  thousands  the  richer 
at  the  end  of  the  season.  In  "Die  Gotterdammerung "  little  was 
retained  that  might  have  been  spared,  and  the  result  was  that 
in  spite  of  its  length  the  audiences  left  the  representations  with 
less  weariness  than  either  "Die  Walkiire"  or  "Siegfried." 

The  play  is  full  of  action,  and  in  the  piling  up  of  scenic, 
musical,  and  dramatic  effects  it  overtops  its  predecessors  in  the 
tetralogy,  and  forms  a  fitting  climax  and  end  to  that  wonderful 
creation.  Its  chief  moment,  the  murder  of  Siegfried,  is  unquestion- 
ably the  most  impressive  scene  ever  created  by  Wagner.  An 
element  of  naivete  and  a  most  refreshing  melodiousness  are  brought 
into  the  musical  score  by  the  recurrence  of  the  music  in  the 
prologue  associated  with  the  Rhine-daughters.  Besides  this  music, 
much  of  which  was  familiar  from  performances  in  the  concert- 
room,  there  is  a  considerable  draft  on  the  exquisite  orchestral 
idyl  which  makes  the  second  act  of  the  preceding  drama  so  charm- 
ing (the  so-called  "Waldweben")  and  three  purely  orchestral  num- 
bers which  belong  to  the  most  beautiful  and  stupendous  music 
that  the  tetralogy  boasts.  There  are  also  two  scenes  whose  intrinsic 
musical  beauty  is  none  the  less  striking  because  of  the  fact  that 
they  are  most  instructive  examples  of  Wagner's  method  of  dramatic 
composition.  The  scenes  are  connected,  and  in  the  third  act. 
The  central  figure  of  a  most  attractive  group,  Siegfried,  tells  the 
story  of  his  life  as  set  forth  in  "Siegfried."  As  the  hero  talks 
the  audience  hears  a  recapitulation  of  the  musical  score  of  that 
drama.  He  starts  up  in  an  outburst  of  enthusiasm  as  he  reaches 

(90) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

the  account  of  Briinnhilde's  awakening,  which  is  interrupted  by 
the  flight  over  his  head  of  Wotan's  ravens.  He  turns  to  look 
after  the  departing  birds  when  Hagen  plunges  a  spear  into  his 
back.  I  can  not  recall  another  stage  catastrophe  presented  with 
such  appalling  power  as  Wagner  has  shown  in  this.  The  music 
to  which  the  hero,  regaining  his  memory  from  which  he  had  been 
treacherously  robbed,  breathes  out  his  life  is  that  ecstasy  in  tones 
to  which  Siegfried 's  kiss  inspires  the  orchestra,  and  this  gives  way 
to  the  familiar  death  march,  which,  from  a  purely  structural  point 
of  view,  is  an  epitome  of  all  that  is  salient  in  the  musical  investi- 
ture of  the  entire  tetralogy,  yet  in  spirit  is  a  veritable  apotheosis, 
a  marvellously  eloquent  proclamation  of  antique  grief  and  heroic 
sorrow. 

Ah !  that  death  march !  Where  in  the  literature  of  music  shall 
we  look  for  its  like?  Let  the  cold-blooded  analyst  dissect  it,  tell 
of  the  phrases  out  of  which  it  is  built,  and  marvel  that  Siegfrieds 
simple  horn-call  could  be  metamorphosed  into  so  colossal  a  hymn 
as  that  which  marks  its  climax.  One  may  feel  its  beauty  to  the 
full  without  getting  within  this  technical  sway.  Such  knowledge, 
indeed,  may  add  keenness  to  appreciation,  but  without  it  we 
recognize  music  which  tells  of  the  death  of  a  demi-god  and  of 
his  deeds.  We  hear  in  it  none  of  the  wails  of  modern  weaklings, 
see  in  it  no  tears  of  hopeless  mourning.  It  is  a  grief  mixed  with 
pride  in  the  prowess  of  the  dead.  We  feel  the  excitement  that 
fills  the  hearts  of  strong  men  bearing  the  corpse  of  a  hero,  and 
with  theirs  our  own  blood  leaps  through  its  veins  the  faster,  as 
it  is  stirred  by  the  vehement  rhythm  of  that  most  thrilling  of  all 
orchestral  tuttis.  We  forget  the  changed  relations  of  the  present. 
We  glory  in  the  ascent  of  the  hero  to  Walhalla,  there  to  quaff 
mead  with  other  heroes,  who  before  him  had  received  the  death- 
mark  from  Woden's  wish-maidens,  and  sing  songs  of  valor  with 
mighty  sonority  like  Ragnar  Lodbrok's 

"  We  smote  with  our  swords  !  " 

There  are  two  other  instrumental  numbers  of  great  beauty  in 
the  score  of  the  "Gotterdammerung,"  but  I  am  spared  a  descrip- 
tion of  them  by  the  circumstance  that  they  are  familiar.  They 
are  the  entr'acte  known  as  "Siegfried's  Rhine  Journey"  and  the 


January.']  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

musical  postlude  after  Brunnhilde' s  immolation.  The  story  of  the 
drama  shows  a  blending  of  the  tale  of  Sigurd's  death  as  related 
in  the  Volsunga  Saga  and  in  the  Nibelungenlied.  Siegfried  leaves 
Brunnhilde  on  the  rock  where  he  found  her,  and  equipped  with 
her  armor  and  arms  besides  his  magic  sword,  he  goes  along  the 
Rhine  in  quest  of  new  adventures.  He  meets  Gunther,  the  Gibi- 
chung,  and  Hagen,  son  of  Alberich,  begotten  to  contest  with  Sieg- 
fried for  the  ring  of  which  his  father,  the  original  robber,  was 
robbed.  With  Gunther  he  swears  an  oath  of  brotherhood,  and, 
after  he  has  been  deprived  of  all  recollection  of  Brunnhilde  by 
a  potion  mixed  by  Hagen,  he  returns  to  the  fire-girt  rock  in  the 
guise  of  Gunther,  and  drags  off  Brunnhilde  to  be  Gunther 's  bride. 
In  turn  he  marries  Gutnine,  Gunther3 s  sister.  Brunnhilde  sees 
on  his  finger  the  ring  which  he  had  wrested  from  her,  and  believ- 
ing herself  dishonored  and  betrayed,  she  plots  with  Jfagen  and 
Gunther  to  accomplish  his  destruction.  While  resting  after  a  hunt, 
the  hero  is  killed  in  the  manner  already  described.  He  is  brought 
back  to  the  hall  of  the  Gibichungs.  There  Gutrune  bewails  his 
death,  but  is  put  aside  by  Brunnhilde,  who  orders  a  pyre  built 
and  dashes  into  the  flames  which  consume  the  body.  Hagen 
having  quarreled  with  Gunther,  and  killed  him,  attempts  before 
this  to  take  the  ring  from  the  dead  man,  but  is  frightened  back 
by  a  threatening  motion  from  the  hero's  hand.  He  plunges  into 
the  Rhine  in  a  delirium.  As  the  pyre  crumbles  the  river  over- 
flows its  banks,  the  waves  roll  up  to  its  edge  and  the  Rhine- 
daughters  recover  the  ring  from  the  ashes.  A  glow  breaks  out  in 
the  heavens  and  Walhalla  goes  up  in  flames. 

The  charm  which  lies  in  the  truthfulness  and  vigor  of  the 
drama  even  when  viewed  aside  from  its  music  defies  description. 
The  world  which  is  presented  in  the  play  is  an  original  creation. 
There  is  scarcely  anything  in  history  that  can  furnish  us  a  point 
of  view  from  which  to  judge  of  the  truthfulness  of  its  details, 
and  yet  its  elements  are  so  harmonious,  they  supplement  each 
other  so  perfectly,  the  characters  fit  so  well  into  their  environ- 
ment, their  untamed  emotions  are  so  consistent  with  the  vigor- 
ous style  of  expression  used  that  the  imagination  is  taken  com- 
pletely captive.  Such  a  scene  as  the  meeting  of  Gunther's  vas- 
sals, with  their  barbarous  accoutrements  and  savage  cries,  vitalizes 

(9*) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [January. 

the  tales  of  barbarian  invasions  for  the  readers  of  European  his- 
tory. The  customs  which  are  exhibited  as  part  of  the  dramatic 
material  of  the  piece,  though  they  exist  in  history,  are  plainly  of 
barbarous  origin,  and  help  wonderfully  to  give  verisimilitude  to 
the  play.  The  mixing  of  the  blood  of  Siegfried  and  Gunlher,  in 
the  drinking-horn  with  which  the  two  pledge  each  other  ever- 
lasting brotherhood,  the  pronouncing  of  the  oaths  on  Ifagen's 
spear,  are  two  scenes  in  which  ancient  customs  are  reproduced 
with  such  energy  and  beauty  as  to  make  the  volcanic  eruptions, 
sunrises,  ship  explosions  and  what  not  of  the  French  historical 
operas  sink  into  insignificance.  Another  interesting  ceremony 
which  plays  an  important  part  in  the  drama  has  come  down  in 
some  of  our  own  poetry.  Siegfried  in  the  guise  of  Gunther  takes 
Briinnhilde  to  wife  in  savage  fashion.  He  penetrates  the  barrier 
of  fire,  wrests  the  magic  ring  from  her  finger,  and  drawing  his 
sword  leads  her  into  the  cave  with  the  words: 

Now,  Nothung,  witness  well 
That  faithfully  I  wooed ; 
Lest  I  wane  in  truth  to  my  brother, 
Bar  me  away  from  his  bride  ! 

Students  of  folk-lore  will  recognize  in  this  an  allusion  to  that 
kind  of  proxy  marriage  described  by  Longfellow  in  "The  Belfry 
of  Bruges" : 

I  beheld  proud  Maximilian  kneeling  humbly  on  the  ground  ; 

I  beheld  the  gentle  Mary  hunting  with  her  hawk  and  hound  ; 

And  her  lighted  bridal-chamber,  where  a  Duke  slept  with  the  Queen, 

And  the  armed  guard  around  them,  and  the  sword  unsheathed  between. 

Lovely  devotion,  deep  earnestness,  trained  intelligence,  and 
a  high  order  of  skill  were  united  to  make  the  first  representation 
of  the  drama  a  memorable  event.  In  two  cases  all  of  the  qualities 
were  united  in  a  single  person.  They  were  those  of  Herr  Seidl 
and  Fraulein  Lehmann.  Fraulein  Lehmann's  portrayal  of  the 
heroine  was  an  achievement  such  as  it  is  a  happiness  to  witness, 
and  remains  a  benediction  in  the  memory.  Here  is  an  artist  whose 
vocal  gifts  and  capabilities  seem  as  inexhaustible  as  her  zeal.  There 
is  never  a  thought  of  self  when  she  plunges  into  the  emotional 
stream  which  carries  Briinnhilde  through  the  drama.  To  present 

(93) 


January.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

the  character,  fully,  vitally,  to  exhibit  the  very  fibres  out  of  which 
its  passionate  heart-strings  are  woven,  is  the  task  which  she  set 
herself,  and  to  perform  it  she  offered  up  her  powers  without  reserve. 
The  endurance,  strength,  and  sensuous  beauty  of  her  voice  fill  one 
with  amazement  when  employed  with  such  generosity  as  inspired 
her  effort  in  the  new  drama.  Of  her  companion,  Herr  Niemann, 
equal  praise  might  be  spoken  so  far  as  intelligence  and  earnestness 
of  effort  are  concerned.  But  when  the  spirit  is  willing  the  flesh 
is  frequently  weak.  Only  in  the  climactic  moments  did  his  voice 
respond  to  the,  to  him,  exceedingly  trying  demands  imposed  by  the 
music ;  but  the  warmth  and  vigor  of  his  declamation,  the  frequently 
effective  use  of  varied  vocal  color  to  convey  emotion,  the  energy 
and  beauty  of  his  acting,  which,  in  the  death  scene  sent  magnetic 
shocks  through  the  audience,  combined  to  make  his  impersonation 
of  Siegfried  a  valuable  exemplification  of  the  kind  of  singing  and 
acting  on  which  Wagner's  dramas  depend  for  their  best  expression. 
Herr  Fischer,  as  was  demonstrated  in  "Faust"  and  "Euryanthe," 
is  wanting  in  the  capacity  to  express  wickedness  of  any  sort,  either 
with  face  or  voice,  but  what  finished  vocal  art  and  a  matchless  bass 
voice  can  do  for  Hagen,  he  did.  The  orchestra  responded  nobly 
to  Herr  Seidl's  wishes,  and  performed  a  notable  work.  As  for 
Herr  Seidl's  part  of  the  representation,  a  record  of  it  ought  to  be 
made  in  the  annals  of  music  in  language  which  would  shed  a  last- 
ing lustre  on  his  name.  The  reception  which  the  audience  ex- 
tended to  the  work  was  in  the  highest  degree  gratifying.  The 
duet  with  which  the  Metropolitan  version  opened  (between  Siegfried 
and  Briinnhilde)  aroused  such  enthusiasm  that  the  danger  seemed 
imminent  for  a  while  that  the  beautiful  Rhine  journey  music  would 
not  be  heard.  After  the  act,  though  the  first  scene  in  the  hall 
of  the  Gibichungs,  with  its  unrelieved  waste  of  dramatic  dia- 
logue, was  a  severe  strain  on  the  patience  and  endurance  of  the 
audience,  the  enthusiasm  broke  out  afresh.  There  were  three 
recalls.  When  the  curtain  fell  on  the  second  act  Fraulein  Leh- 
mann,  Herr  Fischer,  and  Herr  Robinson  were  recalled  four  times, 
and  after  Herr  Seidl  had  appeared  once  with  them  he  was  recalled 
alone,  and,  as  is  his  custom,  indicated  by  a  gesture  that  the  success 
was  due  to  the  singers  and  the  orchestra.  Between  the  acts  the 
corridors  were  filled  with  crowds  who  relieved  their  feelings  by 

(94) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [January. 

excited  conversation.  The  climax  was  reached,  however,  in  the 
death  scene,  which  was  followed  by  an  outburst  of  applause  and 
calls  for  Herr  Seidl,  repeated  time  after  time,  such  as  the  walls 
of  the  house  have  seldom  echoed  to. 

The  drama  was  carefully  "staged,"  but  there  were  a  few  defects 
due  to  a  foolish  effort  on  the  part  of  the  stage-manager  to  improve 
on  the  prescriptions  of  Wagner.  Fearing  that  the  catastrophe 
which  overtakes  the  gods  in  the  denouement  might  not  be  suffi- 
ciently obvious,  the  magnificent  orchestral  postlude  was  made  to 
accompany  two  panoramic  pictures,  one  of  Wotan  and  his  celestial 
court,  and  after  it  one  of  Briinnhilde  carrying  the  body  of  Siegfried 
upward  on  her  horse.  After  two  representations  these  wholly 
unnecessary  and  reprehensible  adjuncts  of  the  drama  were  dis- 
carded. Ragnarok  in  the  Icelandic  tales  is  followed  by  the  crea- 
tion of  a  new  world  and  a  new  reign  of  law.  Wagner's  ethical 
conception  seems  to  be  that  the  era  of  selfishness  and  greed  of 
power  and  gold  gives  place  to  the  era  of  the  dominion  of  love. 
Others  wish  to  see  in  Ragnarok  the  destruction  of  paganism  and 
the  rise  of  Christianity,  and,  in  defence  of  the  tableau  of  Brunnhilde 
bearing  the  corpse  of  Siegfried  it  was  urged  that  she  appeared 
without  the  trappings  of  a  Valkyria  and  was  therefore  the  first 
messenger  of  the  new  religion.  Such  a  conception,  however,  leads 
to  a  complication  of  absurdities  which  requires  neither  enumeration 
nor  discussion.  Some  of  the  other  disturbing  elements  were,  like 
this  tableau,  merely  mechanical,  and  might  as  easily  have  been 
avoided.  The  change  of  actors,  Herr  Alvary  (the  Siegfried  of 
the  preceding  drama)  giving  way  to  Herr  Niemann,  was  also 
emphasized  by  the  difference  between  the  vocal  and  dramatic 
methods  of  the  two  representatives  of  the  character,  but  it  had 
two  things  to  commend  it.  First,  in  "Die  Gotterdammerung " 
Siegfried  appears  as  a  tragic  character  upon  whom  Fate  has  placed 
her  seal,  and  for  the  presentation  of  such  a  character  Herr  Nie- 
mann has  the  better  equipment  in  spite  of  his  worn  voice;  sec- 
ondly, in  stature  the  younger  tenor  does  not  suggest,  like  Herr 
Niemann,  the  ideal  of  the  hero  of  the  old  Niblung  legends. 
The  physical  attributes  with  which  our  ancient  ancestors  fitted 
out  their  hero  are  described  thus  in  the  Volsunga  Saga :  ' '  His 
hair  was  of  golden-red  hue,  fair  of  fashion  and  falling  down  in 

(95) 


January.']  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

great  locks.  So  keen  were  his  eyes  that  few  durst  gaze  at  him. 
His  shoulders  were  as  broad  to  look  on  as  the  shoulders  of  two; 
and  this  is  the  sign  told  of  his  height,  that  when  he  was  girt 
with  the  sword  Gram,  the  dew-shoe  of  the  sword  smote  the 
ears  of  the  standing  corn.  And  for  all  that  greater  was  his 
strength  than  his  height." 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  3  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture, "Rienzi,"  Wagner;  Sonata,  op.  13,  C  minor 
("Pathetique"),  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann);  "La  mia  ban- 
diera,"  Rotoli  (Signer  De  Anna);  Concerto  in  G  minor,  Men- 
delssohn (Master  Hofmann);  "Love  Song,"  for  string  orches- 
tra, Jonas;  Pianoforte  Solos:  Nocturne,  E  major,  Chopin; 
"  Friihlingslied "  and  "  Spinnerlied,"  Mendelssohn  (Master 
Hofmann);  Aria  from  "  Lucrezia  Borgia,"  Donizetti  (Signor 
De  Anna) ;  "Invitation  a  la  Valse,"  Weber  (for  two  pianofortes, 
Josef  and  Herr  Casimir  Hofmann);  "Coronation  March," 
Meyerbeer.  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Karl  Klindworth's  second  pianoforte 
recital.  Chopin  programme:  Sonata,  B-flat  minor,  op.  53; 
Variations  Brillantes,  op.  12;  Second  Impromptu,  F-sharp,  op. 
36;  Nocturne,  D-flat,  op.  27,  No.  2;  Valse,  A-flat,  op.  34; 
Barcarolle,  op.  60;  Nocturne,  C  minor,  op.  48,  No.  i;  Bal- 
lade, A-flat,  op.  47;  Scherzo,  D-flat,  op.  31;  Berceuse,  op.  57  ; 
Polonaise,  A-flat,  op.  53. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Bizet's  "Carmen." 

Thursday,  Twenty-sixth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
tenth  organ  recital.  Introduction  and  Fugue  in  A,  op.  34, 
Merkel;  Andante  from  the  Sonata  op.  12,  No.  2,  Beethoven 
(arranged  by  Best) ;  Bourree,  from  the  third  violoncello  sonata, 
Bach  (arranged  by  Best);  Sonata  in  F,  op.  82,  E.  Silas;  Com- 
munion, in  A,  Deshayes;  Andante  Grazioso,  in  D,  Henry 
Smart;  Concert  Piece,  D  minor,  op.  22,  Otto  Dienel. 

(96) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Flotow's  "Martha." 

Friday,  Twenty-seventh. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.m.  German  opera.  Weber's 
"Euryanthe."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Bizet's  "  Carmen." 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  of  Miss  Sedohr  Rhodes. 
Two  movements  from  the  Quartet,  D  minor,  op.  75,  Bazzini 
(Beethoven  Quartet);  ''Son  vergin  vezzosa,"  Bellini  (Miss 
Rhodes);  "Best  of  All,"  Moir  (Albert  L.King);  "  Israfel," 
Oliver  King  (Miss  Lizzie  Macnichol);  "Serenade,"  Raff,  and 
"Maiden  with  the  lips  so  rosy,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Carl  Dufft); 
"Serenata  alia  Spagnola,"  Borodin,  and  "Danse  Caracteris- 
tique,"  E.  Thiele  (Beethoven  Quartet);  Duet  from  "Martha," 
Flotow  (Messrs.  King  and  Dufft);  "Caro  nome,"  Verdi  (Miss 
Rhodes);  "  Clerici  beati  sunt,"  H.  Hoffman  (Mr.  Dufft);  In- 
troduction and  Saltarello,  Grieg  (Beethoven  Quartet);  "Echo," 
Eckert,  and  Mazurka,  Chopin- Viardot  (Miss  Rhodes) ;  Ter- 
zetto, "I  Naviganti,"  Randegger  (Miss  Macnichol,  Messrs. 
King  and  Dufft).  Musical  Director,  Emilio  Agramonte. 

Saturday,  Twenty-eighth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"  Gotterdammerung. "  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  sixth  Popular 
(Young  People's)  Matinee.  "  Arkadische  Suite,"  op.  76,  Phil- 
lip Scharwenka;  Concerto  No.  i,  E  minor,  op.  n,  Chopin- 
Tausig  (Rafael  Joseffy);  Hungarian  Rhapsody  No.  6,  Liszt; 
Ballet  Music,  "Le  Cid,"  Massenet.  Conductor,  Theodore 
Thomas. 


(97) 


/anuary.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  2  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  "The  Bohemian  Girl,"  by 
Balfe.  8  p.m.  "Daughter  of  the  Regiment." 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fiftieth  organ  recital. 
Canzona,  D  minor  (Book  II,  Novello's  edition),  Bach;  Offer- 
torio,  C  major,  Capocci;  Allegretto,  B  minor,  op.  19,  No.  i, 
Guilmant;  Romanza  from -the  Symphony  in  D  minor,  Schu- 
mann; Postlude  in  B-flat,  J.  E.  West;  Andante  Sostenuto, 
A  major,  Eugene  Gigout;  "Hark,  the  Herald  Angels  Sing" 
(introduction  and  variations  on  Mendelssohn's  Christmas  Hymn), 
C.  J.  Frost. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  Fifth  concert  of  the 
Symphony  Society.  Symphony,  F  minor  ("Irish"),  C.  Villiers 
Stanford;  Adagio  from  the  Second  Symphony,  Saint-Saens; 
"  Le  rouet  d'  Omphale,"  Saint-Saens;  "Overture  to  a  Comedy," 
Smetana;  Concerto  for  pianoforte,  D  minor,  Rubinstein  (Frau- 
lein  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe);  Overture,  "Sakuntala,"  Goldmark. 
Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

The  symphonic  novelty  which  Mr.  Damrosch  brought  forward 
on  this  occasion,  proved  to  be  at  least  an  interesting  and  pleasing 
if  not  profound  work.  Mr.  C.  Villiers  Stanford,  its  composer, 
is  one  of  the  most  serious,  dignified  and  ambitious  of  England's 
composers.  He  occupies  himself  almost  exclusively  with  the  higher 
forms  of  writing,  and  while  the  warmth  of  his  inspiration  may 
be  questioned,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  his  musical  scholarship 
or  of  his  sincerity  of  aim.  The  symphony  is  his  twenty-eighth 
numbered  work,  and  was  first  given  a  public  hearing  at  one 
of  Herr  Richter's  concerts  in  London,  June,  1887.  It  is  called 
by  the  composer  an  "Irish  Symphony,"  and  Irish  it  is  in  its 
melodic  material  and  its  spirit,  for  which  reason,  it  might  be 
said  at  once,  it  does  not  bear  out  one  of  the  well-grounded 
requirements  of  the  symphonic  scheme.  When  a  symphony  tells 
its  story  well  the  final  movement  will  generally  be  found  to  be 
a  vigorous  composition  with  a  contest  and  either  triumph  or  de- 
feat as  its  spiritual  contents.  The  spirit  of  Irish  music  is  the 
spirit  of  Irish  history.  Its  glories  are  the  glories  of  the  past, 

(98) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {January. 

and  when  Mr.  Stanford,  a  true  Irishman,  came  to  construct  his 
symphony,  he  seems  to  have  had  this  thought  in  his  mind.  His 
most  successful  movement  is  the  Andante  con  moto,  which  is  a 
lovely  and  most  affecting  lament.  After  this  in  merit  comes  the 
second  movement,  Allegro  motto  vivace,  a  jig,  which  fills  most 
admirably  the  place  of  the  Scherzo,  and  has  a  sweet,  original  mel- 
ody for  its  trio.  In  the  finale  Mr.  Stanford  has  utilized  two  Irish 
melodies,  "Remember  the  glories  of  Brian  the  brave,"  and  "Let 
him  remember  the  days  of  old,"  both  surcharged  with  melancholy 
in  spite  of  their  effort  to  be  energetic  and  militant.  The  sym- 
phony suggested  most  strikingly  the  characterization  of  Irish  music 
to  be  found  in  Dr.  Norman  Macleod's  Notebook: 

My  father  once  saw  some  emigrants  from  Lochaber  dancing  on  the 
deck  of  an  emigrant  ship  and  weeping  their  eyes  out !  This  feeling 
is  the  mother  of  Irish  music.  It  expresses  the  struggle  of  a  buoyant, 
merry  heart  to  get  quit  of  thoughts  that  often  lie  too  deep  for  tears. 
It  is  the  music  of  an  oppressed,  conquered  but  deeply  feeling,  impres- 
sible, fanciful  and  generous  people.  It  is  for  the  harp  in  Tara's  Halls. 

The  score  of  the  symphony,  which  has  been  published  by 
Novello,  Ewer  &  Co.,  bears  a  bit  of  evidence  of  Mr.  Stanford's 
patriotism  curious  enough  to  mention — an  invocation  to  Phoebus 
to  aid  him  in  his  effort  to  do  justice  to  the  melodies  of  his 
native  land  in  these  words:  "Ipse  fave  clemens  patriae  patriam- 
que  canenti,  Phcebe,  coronata  qui  canis  ipse  lyra." 

Sunday,  Twenty-ninth. 

LIEDERKRANZ  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the  Deutschcr 
Liederkranz.  Scenes  from  Goethe's  "Faust,"  Schumann  (solo 
parts:  Miss  Emma  Juch,  Miss  Amanda  Fabris,  Mrs.  Rosa 
Schaarschmidt,  Miss  Hettie  Kammerer,  Miss  Koch,  Max  Al- 
vary,  and  George  Prehn);  Elsds  Dream,  from  "Lohengrin," 
Wagner  (Miss  Juch);  "Das  Gewitter,"  for  male  chorus,  solos 
and  orchestra,  Hermann  Mohr;  Rhapsodic  Hongroise  No.  14, 
Liszt;  Recitative  and  air  from  "Der  Freischiitz,"  Weber  (Mr. 
Alvary);  "Das  Waldfraulein,"  scene  for  mixed  chorus,  solos 
and  orchestra,  Josef  Sttcher.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

(99) 


January]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Monday,  Thirtieth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wagner's 
"Die  Walkiire."  First  of  two  successive  representations  of 
the  three  Niblung  dramas  in  the  repertory  of  the  Metropolitan 
Company.  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Bizet's  "Carmen." 

Tuesday,  Thirty-first. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Third  pianoforte  recital  by  Karl  Klind- 
worth.  Liszt  programme.  Sonata,  B  minor;  "  Anne6s  de  Pele- 
rinage";  Seconde  Ballade;  Valse  impromptu;  Etude  de  Con- 
cert No.  3;  Rhapsodic  Hongroise  No.  8;  Polonaise  No.  2. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  private  concert  of  the  New 
York  Vocal  Union.  "Silvery  Christmas  Bells,"  Randegger; 
"Zigeunerweisen,"  Sarasate  (Miss  Bertha  Behrens);  "  Morning 
Prayer"  and  "The  Lark's  Song,"  Mendelssohn;  "Springtide," 
Becker  (Miss  Marion  Weed);  Cantata,  "The  Norman  Baron," 
Thomas  Anderton;  "Come,  shepherds,  follow  me,"  John 
Benet;  "My  bonny  Lass,  she  smileth,"  Thomas  Morley; 
"Come,  Sisters,  Come,"  A.  C.  Mackenzie;  Fantaisie  Caprice, 
Vieuxtemps  (Miss  Behrens);  "Three  Doughtie  Men,"  W.  W. 
Pearson;  "The  Three  Singers,"  Berthold  Tours  (Miss  Weed); 
"Noble  Chief,  Thee  we  Hail,"  Glinka.  Conductor,  Samuel 
P.  Warren. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert  of  the 
Damrosch  Symphony  Society  of  Brooklyn.  Symphony  No.  i, 
C  major,  Beethoven;  First  movement  from  the  Pianoforte 
Concerto  in  D  minor,  Rubinstein  (Alexander  Lambert) ;  Two 
Hungarian  Dances,  Brahms;  Norwegian  Melody,  for  strings, 
Grieg;  "Je  suis  Titania,"  Thomas  (Fraulein  Lilli  Lehmann); 
Scherzo,  Litolff  (Mr.  Lambert);  "Les  Preludes,"  Liszt.  Con- 
ductor, Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Donizetti's  "Daughter  of  the 
Regiment." 

(100) 


FEBRUARY 


Wednesday,  First. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Pianoforte  recital  by  Conrad  Ansorge. 
Sonata  in  F  minor,  Ansorge;  Variations,  op.  21,  Brahms; 
"Harmonies  du  Soir,"  Liszt;  Novelette,  Otto  Floersheim; 
"Du  bist  die  Rub',"  Schubert-Liszt;  "La  Campanella," 
Paganini-Liszt ;  Prelude  in  D-flat,  Chopin ;  Fantasia  on  ' '  Les 
Huguenots,"  Liszt. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  3  p.  m.  Concert  by  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture,  "Fingal's  Cave,"  Mendelssohn;  Variations, 
for  two  pianofortes,  Schumann  (Master  and  Casimir  Hofmann) ; 
Air,  "Che  faro,"  Gluck  (Helene  Hastreiter);  Variations,  Ra- 
meau  (Master  Hofmann);  "Scenes  Pittoresques,"  Massenet; 
Pianoforte  Solos:  Barcarolle  and  "Les  Larmes,"  Josef  Hof- 
mann, Serenata,  Moszkowski,  Toccata,  Rubinstein  (Master 
Hofmann);  "Credo"  from  "Otello,"  Verdi  (Signer  De  Anna); 
Polacca,  Weber-Liszt  (Master  Hofmann);  March  and  Cortege 
from  "La  Reine  de  Saba,"  Gounod.  Conductor,  Adolph 
Neuendorff. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Siegfried."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  "Carmen." 

Thursday,  Second. 

GRACE  CHURCH.    3  p.  m.    Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
eleventh  organ  recital.    Trio  Sonata,  No.  6,  in  G,  Bach;  Mili- 
tary March  in  D,  Beethoven  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best) ;  Piece 
Heroique,    B  minor,    Cesar   Franck;     Andante  in  D,  H.   S. 
(101) 


February.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Oakeley ;  Postlude  in  D,  Berthold  Tours ;  Andante  in  E  from 
Suite  op.  39,  W.  Goldner  (arranged  by  N.  H.  Allen);  Sonata 
No.  3,  op.  80,  Merkel. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  private  concert  of  the 
Orpheus  Glee  Club.  "Come,  follow  me,"  Driffield;  Introduc- 
tion and  Polonaise  for  violoncello,  Davidoff  (Adolph  Hart- 
degen);  "Like  the  Woodland  Roses."  Mair;  Soprano  Solos: 
"Se  non  volevi,"  Marchetti,  and  "Die  helle  Sonne  leuchtet," 
Lassen  (Mrs.  Norton);  "St.  John's  Eve,"  Rheinberger;  "Twi- 
light," Buck;  Soprano  Solos:  "Go  not,  Happy  Day,"  "Le 
Retour  de  Printemps,"  Godard,  and  "Phillida  flouts  me" 
(Mrs.  Norton);  "A  Summer  Landscape,"  Otto;  Solos  for 
violoncello:  "Souvenir  des  Alpes,"  Alard,  and  "Humo- 
reske,"  Kiel  (Mr.  Hartdegen);  "Love,"  Meyer-Hellmund. 
Conductor,  Dudley  Buck. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Bos- 
ton Ideal  Opera  Company.  Balfe's  "Bohemian  Girl." 

Friday,  Third. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  3  p.  m.  Second  Popular  Mati- 
nee of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Overture,  ' '  Fin- 
gal's  Cave,"  Mendelssohn;  "Eine  volksthiimliche  Suite," 
John  C.  Rietzel;  Polonaise  No.  2,  Liszt;  Serenade,  F  major, 
No.  2,  op.  63,  Volkmann;  Divertissement  a  la  Hongroise, 
op.  54,  Schubert  (for  orchestra  by  Liszt  and  Erdmannsdor- 
fer) ;  Overture,  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner.  Conductor,  Theo- 
dore Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Captain  Marcel  Voyer, 
pianist.  Overture,  "Prometheus,"  Beethoven;  Fantasia  on 
"La  Sonnambula,"  Thalberg.;  Berceuse,  Chopin;  Valse,  Cho- 
pin; Recitative  and  Air,  "Awake,  Saturnia,"  Handel  (Miss 
Lizzie  Macnichol);  Allegro  from  Concerto  in  A  minor, 
Hummel;  Fantasia  on  "La  Muette  de  Portici,"  Thalberg; 
Concerto,  G  minor,  Mendelssohn;  "Tremolo,"  Gottschalk; 

(102) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [February. 

"Invitation  a  la  Valse,"   Weber;   Capriccio,   B  minor,   Men- 
delssohn.    Conductor,  Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Die 
Gotterdammerung. "  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Bos- 
ton Ideal  Opera  Company.  "The  Bohemian  Girl." 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  Chamber  Music  Soiree  by  the 
New  York  String  Quartet,  assisted  by  Rafael  Joseffy.  Quartet, 
A  minor,  op.  41,  No.  i,  Schumann;  Suite,  E  major,  op.  n,  for 
pianoforte  and  violin,  Goldmark;  Quartet,  D  major,  op.  64, 
No.  5,  Haydn. 

Saturday \  Fourth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  seventh  Popu- 
lar (Young  People's)  Matinee.  Suite  No.  3,  D  major,  Bach; 
Overture, "  Egmont,"  Beethoven;  Suite, "  Mozartiana,"  Tschai- 
kowsky  (first  time);  "  Herzwunden,"  and  "  Friihling,"  for 
strings,  Grieg;  Tarantelle,  Saint-Saens  (Messrs.  Oesterle  and 
Schreurs);  "Bilder  aus  Osten,"  Schumann  (for  orchestra 
byReinecke);  Overture, "  Flying  Dutchman,"  Wagner.  Con- 
ductor, Theodore  Thomas. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Wag- 
ner's "Lohengrin."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-first  organ  recital. 
Choral  Vorspiel, " Ein'  feste  Burg,"  Bach;  Offertoire,  E-flat, 
Th.  Dubois;  Cantilene  Pastorale,  Guilmant;  Air, "  Jerusalem, 
thou  that  killest,"  Mendelssohn  (Miss  Anita  Mason);  Postlude, 
D  major,  W.  G.  Wood ;  Air  from  Suite  in  D,  Bach ;  Song, 
"One  Sweetly  Solemn  Thought,"  R.  S.  Ambrose  (Miss 
Mason);  Prelude, "  Otho  Visconti,"  Gleason  (transcribed  by 
H.  Clarence  Eddy);  Sonata,  G  major,  op.  88,  Rheinberger. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Boston  Ideal 
Opera  Company.  2  p.  m.  "  Daughter  of  the  Regiment "  j 
8  p.  m.  "  Carmen." 

(103) 


February.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Monday,  Sixth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Die 
Walkiire."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

FIFTH  AVENUE  THEATRE.  8  p.  m.  Operetta  in  English  by  the 
Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  A  version  by  Oscar  Weil 
of  "Francois,  les  Bas  Bleus,"  words  by  MM.  Dubreuil,  Hum- 
bert, and  Burain,  music  by  Firmin  Bernicat  and  Andre 
Messager.  Conductor,  George  Loesch. 

Tuesday,  Seventh. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.m.  Theodore  Thomas's  seventh  Sym- 
phony Concert.  Symphony,  G  minor,  Mozart;  Concerto  for 
pianoforte,  No.  4,  G  major,  op.  58,  Beethoven  (Carl  Baer- 
mann);  Symphony, "  Landliche  Hochzeit,"  Goldmark.  Con- 
ductor, Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert,  tenth  season,  of  the 
Philharmonic  Club.  Trio,  C  minor,  op.  66,  Mendelssohn 
(pianoforte,  Richard  Hoffman) ;  Air  from  ' '  La  Reine  de 
Saba,"  Gounod  (Whitney  Mockridge) ;  Sonata  for  violin, 
F.  W.  Rust  (Richard  Arnold);  "Ever  with  thee,"  Raff  (Mr. 
Mockridge);  Quartet  No.  16,  op.  135,  Beethoven. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  Second  private  concert,  tenth 
season,  of  the  Apollo  Club.  "Hark,  the  Trumpet  calleth," 
Buck ;  Valse,  Rubinstein,  and  Berceuse,  Chopin  (Miss  Adele 
Aus  der  Ohe) ;  Slavonic  Love  Song;  "Awake.  Saturnia," 
Handel  (Miss  Emily  Winant) ;  ' '  The  Legend  of  Heinz  von 
Stein,"  Arthur  W.  Thayer  (on  two  themes  from  "Die  Wal- 
kiire"); "St.  John's  Eve,"  Rheinberger;  Solos:  "  Quando 
a  te  lieta,"  Gounod,  and  "The  Garden  of  Sleep,"  De  Lara 
(Miss  Winant);  "Love,"  Meyer-Hellmund ;  Polonaise,  Liszt 
(Fraulein  Aus  der  Ohe);  "Integer  Vitse,"  Fleming.  Con- 
ductor, Dudley  Buck. 

Wednesday,  Eighth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.     3  p.  m.     Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann.     Overture, "II  Guarany,"  Gomez;  Concerto,  C  minor, 
(104) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {February. 

No.  3,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Romance  from  Suite 
No.  i,  H.  W.  Nicholl;  "Credo"  from  "Otello,"  Verdi  (Sign- 
or  De  Anna);  Rondo  Capriccioso,  Mendelssohn  (Master 
Hofmann) ;  Melody,  S.  B.  Schlesinger ;  Scherzo  from  Sym- 
phony No.  i,  Neuendorff;  Solos:  Nocturne  and  Polonaise, 
Chopin,  Etude,  Ravina,  Waltz,  Hofmann  (Master  Hofmann) ; 
Duet  from  "La  Favorita,"  Donizetti  (Mme.  Hastreiter  and 
Signor  De  Anna);  Capriccio  Brillante,  Mendelssohn  (Master 
Hofmann) ;  Wedding  March  from  ' '  The  Rat  Catcher  of 
Hamelin,"  Nessler.  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.m.  German  opera.  "Sieg- 
fried." Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Third  concert  of  the  Boston  Sym- 
phony Orchestra.  Overture,  "  Egmont,"  Beethoven;  Con- 
certo for  violoncello,  Schumann  (Fritz  Giese) ;  "  Danse 
Macabre,"  Saint-Saens;  Symphony,"  Im  Walde,"  Raff.  Con- 
ductor, Wilhelm  Gericke. 

Thursday,  Ninth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Song  and  Ballad  Concert  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Lawton. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
twelfth  organ  recital.  Overture, "Saul,"  Handel  (arranged  by 
W.  T.  Best);  Six  pieces  for  the  organ,  op.  45,  G.  F.  Bristow; 
Fantasia  Eroica,  op.  29,  F.  Kuehmstedt;  Andante  from  the 
Suite  op.  40,  W.  Goldner  (arranged  by  N.  H.  Allen) ;  Sonata, 
op.  25,  C  minor,  Th.  Salome. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  private  concert  of  the 
Musurgia.  "Thou  loveliest  Maid,"  Max  von  Weinzierl;  Cava- 
tina  from  "Robert  le  Diable,"  Meyerbeer  (Miss  Ida  Klein); 
"Oh!  thou  who  art  the  world  to  me,"  De  Witt;  "Three 
Fishers,"  Goldbeck;  Intermezzo,  Krug,  and  Introduction  et 
Andante  Religioso,  Titus  d'  Ernesti  (Philharmonic  Club) ; 
"To  the  Genius  of  Music,"  Hermann  Mohr;  "Sea  and 

(105) 


February.'}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Heart,"  A.  Oelschlegel;  "  The  Ring  and  the  Rose,"  folksong; 
'"Mid  Starry  Deeps  of  Splendor,"  Murio  Celli  (Miss  Klein); 
Rhapsodic  Hongroise  No.  3,  Liszt  (Philharmonic  Club) ;  Dnnk- 
ing  Song,  Max  von  Weinzierl.  Conductor,  W.  R.  Chapman. 

Friday,  Tenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Pianoforte  recital  by  Captain  Mar- 
cel Voyer.  Sonata  No.  i,  Weber;  Romance,  op.  109,  b, "The 
Poet's  Harp,"  Rondo  Capriccioso,  Mendelssohn;  Etude,  A 
minor,  Thalberg ;  Fantasia  on  "La  Muette  de  Portici,"  Thai- 
berg;  Sonata,  C-sharp  minor,  op.  27,  No.  2,  Beethoven;  Fan- 
tasia Impromptu,  op.  66,  Nocturne,  op.  9,  No.  2,  Chopin;  Polo- 
naise for  pianoforte  and  'cello,  Chopin- Voyer  ;  ' '  Spinning 
Song,"  Raff;  Tarantella,  Gottschalk;  "Dance  of  the  Fairies," 
Prudent. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Campanini  Concert 
Company,  assisted  by  Mme.  Etelka  Gerster.  Aria,"  Ceneren- 
tola,"  Rossini  (Signor  Corsini) ;  Concerto  for  violin,  De  Beriot 
(Signora  Torricelli) ;  Aria, "  L'  Ebreo,"  Appoloni  (Signor  Nan- 
netti);  Aria, "Qui  la  voce,"  Bellini  (Mme.  Gerster);  Romanza, 
"  Sei  vendicata  assai,"  Meyerbeer  (Signor  Galassi);  Cavatina, 
"Salve  dimora,"  Gounod  (Signor  Campanini);  Aria, "Ah!  se 
e  estinto,"  Mercadante  (Signora  Scalchi);  Duet, "Sulla  tomba," 
Donizetti  (Mme.  Gerster  and  Signor  Campanini) ;  Rhapsodic 
Hongroise,  Hauser  (Signora  Torricelli) ;  Aria, ' '  Simone  Bocca- 
negra,"  Verdi  (Signor  Nannetti);  Serenade, "  Bella  biondina," 
Rotoli  (Signora  Scalchi) ;  Mazourka,  Chopin-Viardot  (Mme. 
Gerster);  Duet, "La  Favorita,"  Donizetti  (Signora  Scalchi  and 
Signor  Galassi);  Cavatina,  Raff  (Signora  Torricelli);  Terzetto 
from  "Crispino,"  Ricci  (Signori  Galassi,  Corsini,  Nannetti). 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  of  Wenzel  A.  Raboch,  vio- 
linist. Chromatic  Fantasia  and  Fugue,"  Thiele  (John  White); 
"Du  bist  mein  All,"  Bradsky  (Miss  Caroline  Schmitt);  An- 
dante, Perpetuum  Mobile  from  Suite  No.  3,  for  violin,  Ries; 
"Lied,"  Franz,  and  "Morgenlied,"  Rubinstein  (Miss  Fanny 
Hirsch);  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  G  minor,  Bach  (Mr.  White); 
(106) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \February. 

"Bildniss  der  Mutter,"  Andre  (Miss  Schmitt);  "Scene  de 
Ballet,"  De  Beriot;  "Zauberlied,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Miss 
Hirsch);  Trio,  Veit  (Messrs.  Raboch,  Schwarz,  and  Bareuther). 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  German  opera.  "Die 
Gotterdammerung. "  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Saturday,  Eleventh. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Concert  of  the  Campanini  Company. 
Duet,  "I  Puritani,"  Bellini  (Signori  Campanini  and  Galassi); 
Hungarian  Serenade  for  violin,  Rakowsky  (Signora  Torricelli) ; 
Aria,  "Madamina,"  Mozart  (Signor  Nannetti);  Aria,  "Qui  la 
voce,"  Bellini  (Mme.  Gerster);  Aria,  "Largo  al  factotum," 
Rossini  (Signor  Galassi);  Romanza,  "Fanciulle  che  il  core," 
Meyerbeer  (Signora  Scalchi);  Duet,  "Sulla  tomba,"  Donizetti 
(Mme.  Gerster  and  Signor  Campanini);  Violin  Solos:  Ro- 
mance, Joachim,  and  Polish  Dances,  Wieniawski  (Signora  Tor- 
ricelli); Romanza,  "Cinq  Mars,"  Gounod  (Signor  Campanini); 
Gavotte,  "Mignon,"  Thomas  (Signora  Scalchi);  Aria,  "Qui 
sdegno,"  Mozart  (Signor  Nannetti);  Mazourka,  Chopin- Viardot 
(Mme.  Gerster) ;  Duet, "Si  la  stanchezza,"  Verdi  (Signora  Scal- 
chi and  Signor  Campanini);  Terzetto,  "Crispino"  (Signori 
Galassi,  Nannetti,  and  Corsini). 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2p.m.  German  opera.  "Faust." 
Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-second  organ  re- 
cital. Toccata,  C  major  (Book  III,  No.  8,  Peters'  edition), 
Bach;  Melodia,  D  major  (Book  VI),  and  Allegretto,  C  major 
(Book  IV),  Capocci;  Sketch,  C  minor,  J.  E.  West;  "Sound 
an  Alarm,"  Handel  (Charles  Herbert  Clarke);  March,  D  major 
(Book  V),  Henri  Deshayes;  Andante  espressivo,  op.  20,  No.  2, 
Otto  Dienel;  "Angel  at  the  Window,"  Berthold  Tours  (Mr. 
Clarke);  " Albumblatt,"  Wagner;  Sonata,  No.  3,  C  minor, 
Guilmant. 


(107) 


February.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Fourth  concert,  forty- 
sixth  season,  of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  Overture,  ' '  Pro- 
metheus," Bargiel;  "Rolling  in  Foaming  Billows,"  Haydn 
(Emil  Fischer);  Concerto,  G  major,  for  strings,  Bach;  "Der 
Wanderer,"  Schubert  (Herr  Fischer);  Symphony,  No.  3,  op. 
55,  "Eroica,"  Beethoven.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  of  Chamber  Music  by  the 
Kneisel  Quartet  of  Boston  (Franz  Kneisel,  Otto  Roth,  Louis 
Svecenski,  and  Fritz  Giese),  assisted  by  Conrad  Ansorge. 
Quartet,  D  minor,  Schubert;  Trio,  B-flat,  op.  52,  Rubinstein; 
Quartet,  A  major,  op.  41,  No.  3,  Schumann. 

Monday,  Thirteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.m.  German  opera.  "Die 
Gotterdammerung. "  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Tuesday,  Fourteenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  3  p.  m.  Second  pianoforte  recital  of  Captain 
Marcel  Voyer.  Sonata  No.  3,  Weber;  "Meditation"  (Book 
VI,  No.  i),  "Spring"  (Book  V,  No.  6),  "Spinning  Song" 
(Book  VII,  No.  4),  Mendelssohn;  "  Les  Naiades,"  Prudent; 
"Tremolo,"  Gottschalk;  Sonata  Appassionata,  Beethoven; 
"Tempest"  Scherzo,  Berceuse,  and  Valse,  op.  18,  Chopin; 
Etude,  A  minor,  Thalberg. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  eighth  Sym- 
phony Concert.  Symphony,  No.  3,  E-flat,"  Rhenish,"  Schu- 
mann ;  Concerto  No.  2,  op.  95,  for  violoncello,  Rubinstein 
(Victor  Herbert);  Symphonic  Prologue, "  Othello,"  Arnold 
Krug ;  Funeral  March,  Chopin-Thomas ;  Hungarian  Rhap- 
sody No.  12,  Liszt.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  private  concert,  twenty- 
second  season,  of  the  Mendelssohn  Glee  Club.  "Sunday 
Morning,"  Weinwurm;  Pianoforte  Solos:  Barcarolle,  Ru- 
binstein, and  "La  Campanella,"  Paganini-Liszt  (Conrad  An- 
sorge); "Swabian  Folksong,"  Zehngraf;  "  Suomi's  Song" 

(108) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {February. 

(from  the  Finnish)  Franz  Mair;  Songs:  "Blissful  Joy,"  C. 
Graumann,  "  Lithauisches  Lied,"  Chopin,  "  Dein,"  Carl 
Bohm  (Mrs.  Marie  Gramm) ;  "Autumn  Song,"  op.  144, 
No.  3,  Rheinberger;  "Song  to  May"  (first  time,  composed 
for  the  Club),  Reinhold  L.  Herman;  Songs:  "My  Silent 
Song,"  "Love  and  Sleep,"  "Love's  Fillet,"  Edgar  S.  Kel- 
ley  (Max  Heinrich);  "I  press  her  Eyelids  softly  down,"  Volk- 
mann ;  Pianoforte  Solo,  Rhapsodic  Hongroise,  Liszt  (Mr. 
Ansorge);  "The  Cheerful  Wanderer,"  Mendelssohn.  Con- 
ductor, Joseph  Mosenthal. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.m.  German  opera.  "Lohen- 
grin." Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

Wednesday,  Fifteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  3  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef  Hof- 
mann.  Overture,  "Leonore,  No.  3,"  Beethoven;  Concerto, 
G  minor,  Mendelssohn  (Master  Hofmann);  Fantaisie  Caprice, 
Vieuxtemps  (Miss  Nettie  Carpenter);  Solos:  Gigue,  Bach,  Pas- 
torale, Scarlatti,  Variations,  Handel  (Master  Hofmann);  Aria, 
"Non  conosce  il  bel  suol,"  Thomas  (Mme.  Hastreiter);  Valse 
Caprice,  Rubinstein;  Aria,  "Non  piu  andrai,"  Mozart  (Signer 
De  Anna) ;  Solos :  Romance,  Rubinstein,  Serenata,  Mosz- 
kowski,  Berceuse  and  "The  Devil's  Mill,"  Josef  Hofmann 
(Master  Hofmann);  "Schiller  March,"  Meyerbeer.  Conduc- 
tor, Adolph  Neuendorff. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  for  the  benefit  of  Miss  Louise 
Hoeh.  Quartet,  op.  3,  Mendelssohn  (Miss  Hoeh,  G.  Dann- 
reuther,  O.  Schill,  and  Adolf  Hartdegen);  Songs:  "Nacht- 
stiick,"  "Sehnsucht,"  and  "Abschied,"  Schubert  (Max  Hein- 
rich); Ballade,  G  minor,  Chopin  (Miss  Hoeh);  "Emperor" 
variations,  Haydn  (Beethoven  String  Quartet);  Impromptu, 
op.  66,  Reinecke  (Miss  Hoeh  and  S.  B.  Mills);  "The  Thorn- 
bush,"  and  "Through  the  Valley,"  Franz,  "Cradle  Song," 
Schubert,  arranged  as  quartets  for  female  voices  (Meigs  Sis- 
ters); "La  Gondoliera,"  Liszt  (Miss  Hoeh);  "Melodic," 
Rubinstein,  "Humoreske,"  Kiel,  for  violoncello  (Mr.  Hart- 
(109) 


February.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

degen);  "Serenade,"  Moszkowski,  Minuet,  Boccherini  (Beet- 
hoven String  Quartet);  Hungarian  Rhapsody,  No.  12,  Liszt 
(Miss  Hoeh). 

Thursday,  Sixteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Extra 
performance.  Wagner's  "Die  Gotterdammerung."  Conduc- 
tor, Anton  Seidl. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
thirteenth  organ  recital.  Psalm  CXXX,  "De  Profundis," 
Spohr  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best) ;  Choral  Prelude,  ' '  O  Mensch 
bewein'  dein'  Siinde  gross,"  Bach;  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  G 
minor,  op.  52,  Albert  Becker;  Andante  and  Allegretto  in  A, 
Eugene  Gigout;  Pastorale  in  F,  Hamilton  Clarke;  Sonata 
No.  5,  op.  in,  Rheinberger. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Fourth  concert  of  the  Carri  broth- 
ers. Sonata,  violin  and  pianoforte,  op.  105,  Schumann;  "Ah! 
con  Nibbio,"  Gounod  (Miss  Lizzie  F.  Macnichol) ;  "Gondoliera,'' 
Liszt;  "Spinning  Song,"  Wagner-Liszt;  Fantasia,  "II  Pirata," 
for  violin,  Ernst;  Valse  Caprice,  Tausig;  Hungarian  Dances, 
Brahms-Joachim;  "Unless,"  Caracciolo,  and  "Heart-throbs," 
Bendel  (Miss  Macnichol);  Trio,  op.  42,  Gade  (violoncello,  C. 
Bareuther). 

Friday,  Seventeenth. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  3  p.  m.  Concert  in  place  of 
fourth  public  rehearsal  of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society. 
Symphony,  E-flat  (No.  3,  B.  and  H.),  Haydn;  Scene,  "The 
Dawn  Still  Lingers,"  Bruch  (Miss  Emily  Winant);  Symphonic 
Poem,  "Shakespeare's  Tempest,"  J.  K.  Paine;  Song,  "Le 
Spectre  de  la  Rose,"  Berlioz  (Miss  Winant);  Ball  and  Love 
Scenes,  and  Scherzo  from  "Romeo  and  Juliet"  Symphony, 
Berlioz.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.    8  p.  m.     German  opera.     Forty- 
seventh,  and  last,  subscription   night.     "Die  Gotterdammer- 
ung."    Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 
(no) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [February. 

Saturday,  Eighteenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  opera.  Six- 
teenth, and  last,  subscription  matinee.  Close  of  the  season. 
Wagner's  "Siegfried."  Conductor,  Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-third  organ  recital. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  E  minor  (Book  II,  Novello's  edition), 
Bach;  "Communion,"  C  major,  Lefebure-Wely ;  Dirge,  E 
minor,  Ambroise  Thomas;  "Return,  O  God  of  Hosts,"  Han- 
del (Miss  Mary  Ganson);  Theme  and  Variations,  Adolph 
Hesse;  Andantino,  A-flat,  Lemaigre;  Polonaise  Militaire, 
Chopin  (arranged  by  S.  N.  Penfield);  "Ave  Maria,"  Cheru- 
bim" (Miss  Ganson);  "Ave  Maria,"  F  major,  J.  von  Arca- 
delt;  Sonata,  E-flat,  No.  2,  Christian  Fink. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  of  Josef 
Hofmann.  Overture,  "Sakuntala,"  Goldmark;  Concerto, 
C  major,  No.  i,  Beethoven  (Master  Hofmann) ;  Romance, 
Svendsen,  and  Mazourka,  Zarzycki,  for  violin  (Miss  Nettie 
Carpenter) ;  Duet  for  harp  and  pianoforte,  J.  Thomas  and 
J.  Benedict  (Mme.  Sacconi  and  Master  Hofmann) ;  Romance 
from  Suite  No.  i,  H.  W.  Nicholl;  Solos:  Nocturne  and  Polo- 
naise, Chopin,  "  Friihlingslied"  and  "  Spinnerlied,"  Mendels- 
sohn (Master  Hofmann);  Romanza  from  "Ernani,"  Verdi 
(Signor  De  Anna);  Polacca,  Weber-Liszt  (Master  Hofmann); 
Marche  Heroique,  Massenet.  Conductor,  Adolph  Neuendorff. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  Fourth  concert,  thirti- 
eth season,  of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Mendels- 
sohn's "Elijah."  Solo  singers:  Mrs.  Clementine  Lasar  Stud- 
well,  Miss  Emily  Winant,  Miss  Minnie  Dilthey,  Miss  M.  B. 
Campbell,  Theodore  Toedt,  and  D.  M.  Babcock.  Choirmas- 
ter, Paul  Tidden.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

Monday,  Twentieth. 

NIBLO'S  GARDEN.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  Boston  Ideal 
Opera  Company.  Auber's  "Fra  Diavolo." 

(in) 


February^  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Tuesday,  Twenty-first. 

NIBLO'S  GARDEN.  8  p.  m.  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Balfe's 
"Bohemian  Girl." 

Wednesday,  Twenty-second. 

NIBLO'S  GARDEN.  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  2  p.  m., 
"Daughter  of  the  Regiment";  8  p.m.,  Donizetti's  "Elixir 
of  Love." 

Thursday,  Twenty-third. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
fourteenth  organ  recital.  Toccata  and  Fugue  in  F,  Buxtehude ; 
Aria  in  E,  P.  D.  Paradies  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best);  Sonata, 
D  minor,  op.  30,  for  two  performers,  Merkel  (arranged  for  one 
performer  by  Otto  Turke) ;  Offertory,  D-flat,  op.  8,  Th.  Salo- 
me; Fantasia,  C  minor,  Hans  Huber. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Third  and  last  concert  of  the 
New  York  String  Quartet.  Quartet,  C  minor,  for  strings,  G. 
Rauchenecker ;  Sonata,  D  major,  op.  18,  pianoforte  and  vio- 
loncello, Rubinstein  (Conrad  Ansorge  and  Victor  Herbert) ; 
Quintet,  B-flat,  op.  87,  Mendelssohn. 

NIBLO'S  GARDEN.  8  p.  m.  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  "Vic- 
tor, the  Bluestocking." 

Friday,  Twenty-fourth. 

NIBLO'S  GARDEN.  8  p.  m.  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  Balfe's 
"Bohemian  Girl." 

Saturday,  Twenty-fifth. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-fourth  organ  recital. 
Prelude,  B  minor  (Book  II,  No.  10,  Peters'  edition),  Bach; 
Melody,  B-flat,  Arthur  Carnall;  Overture,  "Sakuntala,"  Gold- 
mark  (William  E.  Mulligan);  "Bridal  Song,"  op.  45,  Jensen 
(arranged  by  S.  P.  Warren) ;  Sonata,  C  minor,  No.  3, 

(112) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  {February. 

Guilmant    (Mr.  Mulligan);   "  Idylle,"  A    major,  W.   H.   Sher- 
wood;   Orgel  Hymne,  D  major,  op.  5,  Carl  Piutti. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Sixth  concert,  tenth  sea- 
son, of  the  Symphony  Society.  Overture,  "  King  Lear," 
Berlioz;  "O  Salutaris,"  Liszt  (women's  chorus  of  the  Oratorio 
Society) ;  Psalm  CXXXVII,  for  mezzo  soprano,  women's 
chorus  and  orchestra,  Liszt  (Solo,  Fraulein  Marianne  Brandt); 
Prelude,  "  Meistersinger,"  Wagner;  Air  from  "  Sulamith," 
L.  Damrosch  (Fraulein  Brandt);  Symphony,  A  major,  No.  7, 
Beethoven.  Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

NIBLO'S  GARDEN.  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company.  2  p.m.,  "Vic- 
tor, the  Bluestocking";  8  p.m.,  "Fra  Diavolo." 

Monday,  Twenty-seventh. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Second  concert  of  the  New  York 
Banks'  Glee  Club.  Organ  overture,  "Le  Cheval  de  Bronze," 
Auber  (Will  C.  Macfarlane) ;  "Rise  and  break  the  chains," 
Van  Bree;  Cavatina  from  "La  Reine  de  Saba,"  Gounod 
(Mme.  Marie  Salvotti) ;  "  Cantatella,"  Weber,  and  Scherzo, 
Henselt  (Diller's  Cornet  Quartet);  "Hunter's  Joy,"  Astholz; 
"Hallelujah,"  from  "The  Messiah,"  Handel  (arranged  for 
male  voices  by  George  W.  Morgan) ;  "  O  World,  thou  art 
wondrous  fair,"  Hiller  (soprano  obbligato,  Mme.  Salvotti) ; 
Rhapsodic  Hongroise  No.  2,  Liszt  (Mrs.  Theodore  Sutro) ; 
"Great  is  Jehovah,"  Schubert-Liszt  (tenor  solo,  J.T.  Brennan) ; 
"The  Magic  Song,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Mme.  Salvotti);  "La 
Garde,"  C.  A.  Foeppl,  and  "Souvenir  de  West,"  L.  Schreiber 
(Cornet  Quartet);  "Old  Folks  at  Home,"  popular  song 
arranged  by  G.  Froehlich. 

Tuesday,  Twenty-eighth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  ninth  Sym- 
phony Concert.  Symphony  in  F,  No.  5,  C.  F.  Cowen ;  Con- 
certo, A  minor,  Schumann  (Conrad  Ansorge);  Scene  and 
Air,  "  Ocean,  thou  mighty  Monster,"  Weber  (Mme.  Therese 


February.}          THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Herbert-Foerster) ;  Symphonic  Poem,  "  Auf  der  Wartburg," 
August  Bungert ;  Symphonic  Tone  -  picture,  ' '  Wallenstein's 
Camp,  the  Capuchin's  Sermon,"  Rheinberger. "  Conductor, 
Theodore  Thomas. 

This  programme  contained  two  novelties,  of  which  the  most 
interesting  was  Mr.  Cowen's  symphony.  The  work  had  not  yet 
attained  the  dignity  of  publication  in  print,  though  deserving  it  quite 
as  much  as  the  "Scandinavian"  and  "Welsh"  symphonies  of  the 
same  composer.  It  was  played  from  written  parts,  and  indeed  was 
scarcely  old  enough  to  have  received  the  engraver's  attention.  It 
was  on  June  9,  1887,  I  believe,  that  it  had  its  first  performance  in 
Cambridge,  England,  and  it  endured  the  London  baptism  by  fire 
a  few  days  later  at  one  of  Hans  Richter's  concerts.  Herr  Richter 
brought  forward  three  symphonies  by  British  composers  last  season, 
two  of  which  were  heard  during  the  present  season  in  New  York — 
this  by  Mr.  Cowen  and  Mr.  Stanford's  "Irish"  symphony.  Mr. 
Cowen  is  easily  the  first  among  English  symphonists,  and  his  traits 
of  melodiousness  and  lucidity  of  writing  are  recognizable  in  this 
latest  work,  which,  so  far  as  the  contents  go,  is  considerably  more 
ambitious  than  its  predecessor.  It  conforms  to  the  old  regulations 
in  most  particulars,  and  the  composer  has  tried  to  emphasize  its 
unity  by  recurring  to  some  of  the  melodic  material  of  the  first 
movement  in  the  slow  number  and  the  finale.  The  most  noteworthy 
portion  of  the  symphony  seemed,  on  a  single  hearing,  to  be  the 
so-called  "free  fantasia"  part  of  the  first  movement,  which  is, 
indeed,  most  admirable  music.  A  dainty  and  graceful  Intermezzo 
in  moderate  time  (allegretto  quasi  allegro),  which  takes  the  place 
of  the  customary  Scherzo,  evoked  more  enthusiasm  than  anything 
else  on  the  programme. 

The  name  of  August  Bungert  is  little  known  in  this  country, 
and  was  not  favorably  introduced  on  this  occasion.  "Auf  der 
Wartburg"  is  a  specimen  of  that  kind  of  "programme  music," 
which  falls  in  some  measure  under  condemnation  because  a  com- 
mentary is  essential  to  an  appreciation  of  it.  Herr  Bungert  made 
his  studies  at  the  Leipsic  Conservatory,  and  spends  his  time  mostly 
in  the  Riviera  composing.  An  opera, "  Nausicaa, "  recently  com- 
pleted, has  been  highly  praised.  He  is  author  of  the  book  as  well 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.          {February. 

as  the  music,  and  the  programme  which  he  has  affixed  to  his  ' '  Auf 
der  Wartburg "  is  a  short  poem  which  voices  the  thoughts  of 
a  visitor  to  the  famous  Thuringian  castle.  Pictures  of  ancient 
chivalry  are  presented  with  an  episode  devoted  to  Luther,  to  which 
publication  is  given,  of  course  by  means  of  the  melody  of  ''Bin' 
feste  Burg."  The  Janizary  music  with  which  the  gay  scenes  in  the 
old  castle  are  pictured,  is  too  commonplace  in  thought  to  merit 
commendation  on  any  other  ground  than  its  clever  scoring. 


("5) 


March.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 


MARCH 


Thursday,  First. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
fifteenth  organ  recital.  Prelude  and  Fugue,  D  minor,  F.  Ca- 
pocci;  Andante  from  Symphony  No.  10,  Mozart  (arranged  by 
W.  T.  Best);  Sonata,  B-flat  minor,  op.  i,  Philip  Wolfrum; 
Andante  and  Allegro  in  D,  F.  E.  Bache;  Andante  in  G,  op.  59, 
No.  3,  Guilmant;  Concert  Piece,  E-flat  minor,  L.  Thiele. 

Friday,  Second. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  Third  Popular  Matinee  of  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Allegretto  giojoso,  Tema 
con  Variazioni  and  Perpetuum  Mobile  from  the  Suite  op.  39, 
Moszkowski;  Grand  Sonata  for  Strings,  Harry  Rowe  Shelley; 
Overture,  "The  Vikings,"  Emil  Hartmann;  Fantasia,  "Liebes- 
nacht,"  Philip  Scharwenka;  Tarantelle  for  flute  and  clarinet, 
Saint-Saens  (Mess.  Oesterle  and  Schreuers) ;  Hungarian  Rhap- 
sody, No.  12,  Liszt.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

Aside  from  the  style  of  the  composition,  so  unexpected  at  the 
present  time,  there  were  other  evidences  of  youthfulness  and  in- 
experience in  Mr.  Shelley's  sonata,  particularly  in  the  working  over 
of  the  thematic  material  after  its  exposition  in  the  first  Allegro, 
but  it  was  a  graceful  act  of  Mr.  Thomas  to  give  the  sonata  a  per- 
formance, and  I  am  sure  that  it  will  prove  profitable  to  Mr.  Shelley. 
Like  most  young  composers,  Mr.  Shelley  finds  difficulty  in  holding 
attention  by  his  development  of  the  ideas  which  he  places  at  the 
base  of  his  composition.  The  ideas  themselves  are  more  interesting 
on  their  first  statement  than  at  any  time  afterward,  and  there  is, 
therefore,  no  working  up  to  a  climax,  but  all  proceeds  on  an  even 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

plane.  His  models,  too,  I  should  imagine  to  be  rather  primitive, 
selected,  in  fact,  from  the  music  literature  which  flourished 
before  the  forms  were  made  elastic  by  the  growth  of  the  emotional 
contents  of  music.  Nominally,  Mr.  Shelley  begins  his  sonata  with 
a  prelude  in  moderate  time,  but  the  prelude,  instead  of  serving  as 
an  introduction  to  the  first  Allegro,  has  the  dimensions  of  a  sepa- 
rate movement,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  it  would  not  have  been 
more  effective  as  a  second  division  of  the  work.  For  its  present 
purposes  it  would  profit  much  by  a  reduction  to  the  extent  of  one- 
half.  The  most  unqualifiedly  pleasing  impression  was  made  by 
the  Minuet,  and  especially  the  first  part  of  its  trio. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  of  three  concerts  given  by 
Herr  Anton  Seidl.  Selections  from  "Don  Giovanni,"  Mozart 
(i.  Overture;  2.  Recitative  and  Duo,  "Maquel  mais'affre"; 
3.  Buffo  aria,  "  Madamina";  4.  Aria,  "Dalla  sua  pace";  5.  Re- 
citative, "Don  Ottavio,  son  morta,"  and  Aria,  "Or  sai,  chi 
1'onore";  6.  Finale,  Act  I.  Solo  singers:  Frau  Lilli  Kalisch- 
Lehmann,  Paul  Kalisch,  Emil  Fischer,  Frau  Auguste  Seidl- 
Kraus,  Miss  Ida  Klein,  Emil  Steger,  and  Adolph  Sanger); 
Symphony,  C  major,  Richard  Wagner  (first  performance  in 
New  York);  Prize  Song  from  "Die  Meistersinger,"  Wagner 
(Herr  Kalisch);  Prelude,  "Parsifal,"  Wagner.  Conductor, 
Anton  Seidl. 

On  September  17,  1887,  The  New  York  Tribune  printed  the  fol- 
lowing translation  of  a  letter  from  Herr  Seidl,  telling  the  romantic 
story  of  the  loss  and  recovery  of  Wagner's  youthful  symphony, 
of  which  Herr  Seidl,  while  a  member  of  the  composer's  household, 
was  called  on  to  reconstruct  the  score : 

To  the  Editor  of  The  Tribune  : 

SIR — I  willingly  comply  with  your  request  to  tell  the  readers  of 
The  Tribune  what  I  know  about  the  symphony  by  Richard  Wagner.  In 
his  later  years  Wagner  often  recalled  the  works  of  his  youth  with  much 
pleasure.  He  brought  out  many  things  which  he  had  not  thought  of  for 
nearly  fifty  years ;  for  instance,  I  had  to  copy  several  sonatas  for  piano- 
forte that  had  become  almost  illegible,  and  these  were  then  performed 
evenings  at  home.  Quite  a  number  of  such  youthful  compositions  oc- 
curred to  him,  but  many  slipped  his  memory  entirely.  This  was  in 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

1877-8.  Several  airs  which  he  had  composed  for  introduction  in  operas 
which  he  had  either  to  rehearse  or  conduct  while  Capellmeister  in 
Wurzburg  and  Magdeburg  were  also  discovered.  In  the  year  1873,  on 
the  22d  of  May,  his  birthday,  he  was  surprised  by  a  performance  in  the 
old  Bayreuth  Opera-House  (not  the  Festival  Theatre,  which  at  that  time 
was  not  yet  built) ;  the  concert  had  been  secretly  arranged,  and  the  suc- 
cess on  the  whole  was  brilliant.  On  this  occasion  was  performed  a  grand 
overture  in  C  major  from  the  year  1832,  which  at  about  the  time  of  its 
composition  was  played  at  the  Gewandhaus  in  Leipsic  with  great  ap- 
plause, and  which  showed  the  eighteen-years-old  composer  in  the  light  of 
an  admirable  contrapuntist.  The  overture  consists,  after  a  short,  en- 
ergetic introduction,  of  a  single  great  fugue  for  full  orchestra ;  his  facility 
and  firmness  in  handling  the  fugue-form  were  already  recognized  at  that 
early  day.  They  were  the  fruits  of  his  studies  with  the  Thomas  Cantor 
Weinlig,  to  whom  he  afterward  gratefully  inscribed  the  "  Liebesmahl  der 
Apostel."  The  second  number  on  the  programme  was  a  grand  cantata 
for  orchestra  and  mixed  chorus,  which  he  composed  and  produced  in  pub- 
lic while  he  was  Capellmeister  in  Magdeburg.  This  composition  is  more 
in  Beethoven's  style,  and  reminds  one  of  the  Ninth  Symphony  or  the 
Choral  Fantasia.  For  the  conclusion  the  comedy  "  The  Massacre  of 
the  Innocents  at  Bethlehem,"  was  played,  a  piece  from  the  pen  of  Wag- 
ner's stepfather,  the  painter  and  actor,  Richard  Geyer.  Naturally,  this 
comedy  gave  great  pleasure  to  Wagner,  for  in  his  sixtieth  year  it 
awakened  a  multitude  of  childhood  recollections. 

Besides  the  compositions  mentioned  I  recall  two  overtures,  "Polonia" 
and  "  Britannia,"  both  characterized  by  their  titles.  But  he  was  con- 
tinually recurring  to  a  symphony  which  he  had  lost  sight  of  after  one 
performance  in  Leipsic  at  a  concert  of  the  Euterpe,  and  one  performance 
in  Wurzburg.  In  the  latter  place  it  was  that  the  trombone  parts  were 
lost.  Letters  were  written  in  all  directions  to  all  his  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances, but  no  trace  of  the  symphony  was  found.  Then  he  re- 
quested the  litterateur  Tappert,  of  Berlin,  a  zealous  and  lucky  collector 
and  discoverer  of  Wagnerian  relics,  to  make  journeys  wherever  he 
thought  it  advisable  in  the  interest  of  the  symphony.  Tappert,  after 
many  inquiries  and  much  reflection,  drafted  a  plan  of  discovery,  follow- 
ing lines  suggested  by  the  biography  of  the  master,  and  set  out  upon  a 
tour  through  Wurzburg,  Magdeburg,  Leipsic,  Prague  and  finally  Dresden. 
In  each  place  he  ransacked  all  the  dwellings,  inns,  theatres  and  concert- 
rooms  in  which  Wagner  had  lived  or  labored ;  but  in  vain.  At  last  in 
Dresden  he  visited  Tichatschek,  the  famous  tenor,  who  at  this  time  was 
already  bedridden.  He  knew  all  the  houses  in  which  Wagner  had 
lived  while  he  was  Hof-Capellmeister,  but  nothing  was  to  be  found  in 

(118) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

any  of  them.  Tichatschek  got  a  little  disgruntled  at  the  much  question- 
ing to  which  he  was  subjected  and  Tappert  had  to  return  to  Berlin.  Be- 
fore doing  so,  however,  he -requested  Fiirstenau,  the  flautist,  to  cross- 
question  Tichatschek  thoroughly  some  day  when  he  was  in  a  good 
humor  concerning  the  possible  whereabouts  of  some  trunks  which  Wag- 
ner had  left  behind  him  in  Dresden ;  for  Wagner  had  once  said  that 
when  he  fled  from  Dresden  he  left  all  his  possessions  and  did  not  know 
what  had  become  of  them. 

The  scheme  was  successful.  Tichatschek  remembered  that  in  his 
own  attic  there  were  several  old  trunks  belonging  to  he  did  not  know 
whom.  Fiirstenau  looked  through  them,  but  soon  came  down  and 
declared  that  though  musical  manuscripts  were  in  the  attic  they  were 
only  unknown  parts  and  that  none  bore  Wagner's  handwriting.  Tap- 
pert  called  for  the  parts  to  be  sent  to  Berlin  for  his  inspection.  He  rec- 
ognized at  a  glance  that  they  were  not  in  his  handwriting,  but  on 
carefully  examining  the  separate  sheets  he  found  memoranda  in  lead- 
pencil  which  he  thought  looked  like  the  youthful  handwriting  of  Wagner. 
To  assure  himself  he  copied  the  first  theme  from  the  first  violin  part  and 
sent  it  to  Wagner's  wife,  who  played  it  on  the  pianoforte  in  a  room  ad- 
joining that  in  which  Wagner,  suspecting  nothing,  sat  at  breakfast.  The 
master  listened  a  moment  in  silence  and  then  ran  into  the  room  joyfully 
shouting  that  it  was  the  theme  of  the  symphony  for  which  he  was 
hunting.  The  discovery  was  made!  The  parts  were  sent  at  once  to 
Bayreuth,  and  I  was  called  upon  to  make  the  score  out  of  them.  This 
was  a  somewhat  difficult  task,  but  soon  the  symphony  was  again  in 
shape  for  the  eye,  and  joyfully  the  study  of  it  was  begun. 

In  the  last  movement,  however,  the  trombone  parts  were  missing.  I 
saw  at  once  that  it  was  a  fugato,  and  that  the  trombone  parts  must 
be  peculiarly  essential,  for  each  trombone  entered  at  a  different  moment 
and  moved  independently  of  its  two  colleagues.  This  was  evident  from 
the  cues  in  the  other  parts,  which  contained  here  and  there  a  trombone 
note  as  a  cue  and  nothing  more.  I  told  the  master  that  I  would  not  un- 
dertake on  my  own  responsibility  to  reconstruct  the  trombone  parts,  for  I 
could  not  guarantee  to  restore  the  original  treatment  of  the  voices ;  it 
would  only  be  a  matter  of  chance. 

Soon  after  this  I  left  Wagner's  house,  and  after  a  probationary  year  at 
the  Royal  Opera  at  Vienna  as  "  Gesangscorreptitor "  (for  which  position 
Wagner  himself  recommended  me  to  Director  Jauner),  I  went  again  on 
Wagner's  recommendation  to  the  Leipsic  Stadt  Theatre  as  a  Capell- 
meister.  Thence  I  went  to  the  Berlin  Victoria  Theatre,  commissioned  to 
direct  the  rehearsals  and  performances  for  the  entire  "  Nibelungen"  cycle. 
This  was  in  1881.  Wagner  came  to  Berlin  with  his  entire  family  and 


March.']  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

attended  the  first  and  fourth  performances  of  the  tetralogy;  the  enthusi- 
asm and  the  triumph  of  the  work  were  immense.  Wagner  told  me  that  he 
rejoiced  that  he  had  completed  the  instrumentation  of  his  youthful  sym- 
phony ;  he  had  found  the  key  for  the  conduct  of  the  voices  and  had 
then  easily  added  what  was  missing.  He  was  hoping  for  an  opportunity 
to  produce  the  symphony,  and  thought  the  most  fitting  occasion  would  be 
a  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  beginning  of  his  artistic 
career,  which  he  hoped  to  conduct  in  his  native  city,  Leipsic.  He  asked 
me  to  assist  him  at  the  early  rehearsals.  Of  course  I  was  delighted  with 
the  plan. 

But  fate  had  other  things  in  store.  In  1882  occurred  the  first  per- 
formance of  "Parsifal,"  and  Wagner  sought  rest  after  the  excessive 
exertion  which  that  caused  in  Venice.  I  was  traveling  with  the  Richard 
Wagner  Theatre,  conducting  the  "  Nibelungen."  Wagner  was  greatly 
interested  in  this  tremendous  enterprise,  which  certainly  contributed  a 
great  deal  toward  extending  acquaintance  with  his  gigantic  creation,  and 
stimulated  many  of  the  smaller  theatres  to  perform  it.  He  encouraged 
the  director  and  artists  in  many  letters  to  continue  in  the  good  work. 
The  institution  had  again  reached  Berlin  when  I  received  a  letter  asking 
me  to  come  to  Venice  for  the  approaching  Christmas  festivities  in  order 
to  aid  the  master  in  rehearsing  the  symphony,  which  he  wished  to  per- 
form in  honor  of  the  birthday  of  his  wife  Cosima.  He  feared  the 
exertions  which  the  first  rehearsals  would  cost  and  wrote  to  me:  "  You 
must  help  me  again,  so  get  a  furlough  and  come  here;  the  orchestra 
of  the  conservatory  has  been  placed  at  my  disposal  and  I  want  to  play 
the  symphony  at  the  birthday  celebration  of  my  Cosima  on  the  second 
Christmas  day."  I  was  promised  leave  of  absence  by  my  director  and 
rejoiced  in  anticipation.  I  telegraphed  my  acceptance  at  once,  but  my 
director  withdrew  his  consent  because  of  some  concert  arrangements 
which  he  had  concluded  meanwhile,  which  called  for  my  services 
just  before  and  after  Christmas,  so  that  at  the  most  I  would  have  barely 
had  time  to  go  to  Venice  and  get  back,  but  not  to  hold  any  rehearsals.  I 
have  never  pardoned  this  conduct  of  my  director,  for  it  robbed  me  of  the 
last  opportunity  to  see  my  dearly  beloved  master  alive.  I  received  one 
more  letter  from  him  in  which,  as  if  under  the  influence  of  a  present- 
iment, he  signed  himself  "Your  old  Richard  Wagner."  The  rehearsals 
which  he  had  been  obliged  to  conduct  unaided  had  tired  him  greatly,  but 
the  performance  had  brought  great  joy  to  all.  This  joy,  it  is  true,  had 
cost  over  2,000  francs,  for  the  orchestra  that  had  been  placed  at  his 
disposal  afterward  sent  in  its  bill. 

A  month  and  a  half  after  this  performance  the  master  died  suddenly 
of  an  attack  of  heart  disease,  to  which  he  had  several  times  been 

(120) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

subjected  in  his  later  years.  Two  months  after  his  death,  when  I  was 
conducting  the  Niblung  cycle  in  Venice,  I  was  told  personally  by  the 
Concertmeister,  who  had  played  in  the  symphony  performance,  that 
when  he  had  finished,  Wagner  laid  the  baton  down  with  the  words  : 
"  Now  I  have  conducted  for  the  last  time." 

Is  it  not  strange  that  great  geniuses  often  occupy  themselves  shortly 
before  death  with  the  creations  of  their  youthful  years  ?  Thus  Wagner, 
who  concluded  his  life  with  a  return  to  his  first  work  of  magnitude.  For 
many  reasons  this  symphony  is  a  peculiarly  valuable  aid  to  an  estimate 
of  the  musical  development  of  the  great  master.  It  shows  that  Wagner, 
like  every  other  genius,  at  first  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  immediate 
predecessors,  showing,  indeed,  occasional  glimpses  of  his  future,  but  dis- 
closing plainest  of  all  the  fruits  of  his  studies  of  the  classics.  The  sym- 
phony is  worked  out  with  keen  appreciation  of  form  and  betrays 
enthusiastic  admiration  for  the  classics.  It  is  the  work  of  a  young  sky- 
stormer  who  has  thoroughly  assimilated  Mozart,  Haydn,  Beethoven,  Bach 
and  Weber,  and  planted  the  fruit-bringing  seeds  of  this  study  deep 
in  his  intellect.  As  one  takes  off  his  hat  in  Leipsic  before  the  house 
in  which  Wagner  was  born,  in  order  to  honor  the  spot  where  a  great 
genius  first  saw  the  light,  so  the  musician  of  the  future  will  take  this  sym- 
phony into  his  hands  with  the  greatest  interest  and  amazement,  since  it 
is  one  of  the  foundation  blocks  of  the  structure  whose  capstones  are 
"Tristan,"  "  Gotterdammerung  "  and  "  Parsifal." 

Very  Respectfully,  ANTON  SEIDL. 

Franz ensb ad,  Bohemia,  Aug.  23,  1887. 

Naturally  the  first  question  that  arose  on  a  hearing  of  this  first 
composition  of  magnitude  written  by  Wagner  in  juxtaposition  with 
the  prelude  to  ''Parsifal"  was:  Does  it  exhibit  any  germs  of  the 
original  genius  which  is  stamped  so  broadly  on  every  page  of  the 
composer's  swan-song  ?  The  symphony  was  written  when  Wagner 
was  yet  under  the  binding  influence  of  the  classics;  the  prelude 
when  he  was  a  law  unto  himself.  In  the  former  Wagner's  creative 
talent  worked  within  the  time-honored  ' '  forms  "  of  composition ; 
in  the  latter  he  had  completely  emancipated  himself  from  those 
"forms,"  yet  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  evidences 
of  original  genius  in  this  symphony  are  numerous  and  unmistakable. 
Of  course  it  is  easy  to  prophesy  after  the  fact,  but  the  circumstances 
make  it  incumbent  on  a  truthful  chronicler  to  say  that  it  was  a  duty 
and  not  an  egotistical  sentiment  on  the  part  of  Wagner  to  save  this 

(121) 


March.~\  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

symphony  to  the  world.     It  shows  how  native  to  the  man  was  the 
impetuous  energy  which  characterizes  the  works  of  his  prime. 

In  "form,"  in  many  features  of  the  treatment,  in  the  invention 
of  his  themes  he  followed  Beethoven  and  Mozart.  The  evidences 
are  so  numerous  and  so  flagrant  that  no  one  would  attempt  to  deny 
them.  One  can  pick  out  his  models  without  difficulty.  But  his 
models  chosen,  Wagner  worked  with  a  daring  and  ease  that  must 
excite  amazement  and  admiration.  Compared  with  his  later  works 
the  instrumentation  of  the  symphony  is  harsh;  I  do  not  wonder 
that  when  he  heard  it  played  in  Leipsic  he  did  not  think  it 
"sounded  well."  Sensuous  beauty  of  tone  was  at  that  time  a  higher 
law  than  characteristic  beauty,  and  Wagner  knew  his  Beethoven 
better  than  most  of  the  greybeards  of  the  Conservatory.  Compared 
with  what  he  created  in  the  fullness  of  his  powers  it  is  crude 
and  unripe;  when  one  recalled  it  while  listening  to  the  mellow, 
luscious  "Parsifal"  music  its  voice  was  acrid.  But  there  was  no 
questioning  the  vigor  and  vitality  of  its  proclamation.  It  reflects 
the  muscular  side  of  the  Teutonism  of  its  creator.  There  is  little 
sentiment  in  it,  little  tenderness,  little  beauty  of  the  higher  order. 
But  there  is  any  amount  of  that  nervous  strength  which  is  con- 
ditioned upon  a  complete  command  of  the  elements  of  composition. 
If  a  Conservatory  student  of  to-day  were  to  produce  a  movement 
equal  to  the  first  (by  all  odds  the  finest  of  the  symphony),  there 
is  no  question  what  the  verdict  of  his  judges  would  be.  Talent 
of  the  most  promising  kind  would  be  conceded  to  him.  The 
deficiencies  of  Wagner's  genius  are  also  evident  in  it;  his  want 
of  humor  is  shown  by  the  Scherzo,  which  is  wildly  rude,  but  not 
humorous.  His  efforts  to  give  unity  and  a  spiritual  bond  to  the 
disconnected  movements  are  original,  and  he  shows  splendid  knowl- 
edge of  thematic  treatment.  There  is  even  in  the  Andante  a  use 
of  the  mordent  which  plays  so  important  a  part  in  "Rienzi," 
"Tristan,"  and  "Die  Gotterdammerung. "  But  I  cannot  particu- 
larize more.  This  symphony  proves  that  Wagner  was  a  profound 
musician  at  nineteen. 

Saturday,  Third. 

STEINWAY  HALL.     2   p.  m.     Theodore  Thomas's   eighth   Popular 
(Young    People's)    Matinee.     Overture, "The  Vikings,"  Emil 

(122) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

Hartmann;  "  Folklife,"  op.  19,  Grieg  (for  orchestra  by  Arthur 
Mees);  Scherzo  and  Finale  from  the  Pianoforte  Concerto  in 
B  minor,  op.  32,  Xaver  Schanvenka  (Miss  Louise  Veling) ; 
Hungarian  Rhapsody,  No.  14,  Liszt;  "Les  Gouttes  de  Rosee," 
for  harp,  Felix  Godefroid  (Joseph  Moser);  "Danse  Heroique," 
Frederick  Brandeis ;  Chopin  Suite,  Hlavac ;  Overture, "  Tann- 
hauser,"  Wagner.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

The  novelty  in  this  list  was  the  ' '  Chopin  Suite  "  by  the  Russian 
composer  Hlavac.  It  scarcely  deserves  to  be  described  otherwise 
than  as  ingenious  musical  fooling.  Hlavac  has  taken  Chopin's 
Etude  in  F  minor  and  used  it  (in  its  original  form)  as  an  accom- 
paniment for  six  thinly  scored  orchestral  melodies — a  prelude, 
scherzino,  nocturne,  waltz,  eclogue,  and  march — giving  each  mel- 
ody to  a  different  portion  of  the  orchestra.  Finally  he  unites  the 
six,  still  adhering  to  the  Etude  as  an  accompaniment.  I  fancy  that 
a  musician  would  derive  more  pleasure  from  looking  at  the  score 
than  from  hearing  the  music.  There  is  a  monotonous  sameness 
about  the  melodies;  in  fact,  they  sound  like  variations  of  the  same 
theme,  and  the  march  is  so  much  more  sonorous  than  the  other 
pieces  that  when  the  ensemble  was  played  little  was  to  be  heard 
except  the  march,  the  other  numbers  seeming  to  be  only  subsidiary 
matter.  The  fault  may  have  lain  partly  in  insufficient  study,  for 
the  performance  was  not  a  finished  one. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-fifth  organ  recital. 
Fugue,  B  minor  (Book  II,  No.  10,  Peters's  edition)  Bach; 
Pastorale,  F  major,  Th.  Kullak ;  Andante  Religioso,  G  major, 
Henri  Deshayes ;  Grand  Choeur,  D  major,  Guilmant ; 
Nocturne,  E-flat,  Chopin ;  Allegro,  D  major,  Berthold  Tours ; 
Variations  on  "Jerusalem,  the  golden,"  William  Spark. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m  Byron's  "  Manfred," 
with  Schumann's  music,  performed  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Workingmen's  School  of  the  United  Relief  Work  of  the 
Society  for  Ethical  Culture.  Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

Tuesday,  Sixth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.m.  Concert  of  Mr.  Frederic  S.  Evans, 
pianist.  Overture, ' '  Midsummer  Night's  Dream, "  Mendelssohn  ; 


March.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Songs:  "  Der  Tod  und  das  Madchen,"  "Am  Meer,"  and 
"  Friihlingsnacht,"  Schubert  (Oscar  Franklin  Comstock);  Con- 
certo No.  5,  E-flat,  Beethoven  (Mr.  Evans) ;  Two  Hungarian 
Dances,  Brahms;  Songs:  "  Du  bist  mein  All,"  Bradsky,  "  Ich 
Hebe  Dich,"  Grieg,  "  Zauberlied,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Miss 
Helene  Eschenbach);  Concerto  No.  2,  G  minor,  Saint-Saens 
(Mr.  Evans).  Conductor,  Walter  J.  Damrosch. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Fourth  concert,  tenth  season,  of  the 
Philharmonic  Club.  Trio,  B-flat,  op.  97,  Beethoven  (piano- 
forte, William  H.  Sherwood);  Bolero,  "Le  Muletier  de 
Tarragone,"  P.  Henrion  (Francis  Fischer  Powers);  Variations 
and  Scherzo  from  the  Quartet  in  D  minor,  Schubert ;  Songs : 
"Und  wiissten  die  Blumen,"  Moszkowski,  "Im  Abendroth" 
and  "Ungeduld,"  Schubert  (Mr.  Powers);  Sextet,  op.  65, 
H.  Hofmann. 

Thursday,  Eighth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
sixteenth  organ  recital.  Prelude,  A  minor,  J.  L.  Krebs; 
Fugue,  E  minor,  Handel ;  Adagio  from  the  ' '  Symphonic 
Triomphale,"  Hugo  Ulrich;  Sonata,  No.  6,  op.  119,  Rhein- 
berger;  Andante  in  D,  Basil  Harwood;  Fantasia  in  G, 
A.  P.  F.  Boely,  Prelude  to  "  Le  Deluge,"  Saint-Saens 
(arranged  by  Guilmant) ;  Toccata,  A-flat,  op.  85,  Adolph 
Hesse. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert  of  the 
Oratorio  Society.  Bach's  "  Passion  Music  according  to  the 
Gospel  of  St.  Matthew."  Solo  Singers:  Miss  Ella  Earle,  Miss 
Emily  Winant,  William  Dennison,  Emil  Fischer,  and  Max 
Heinrich.  Organist,  Frank  L.  Sealy.  Conductor,  Walter 
J.  Damrosch. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  115  p.  m.  Third  concert  of  the  Beethoven 
Quartet  Club.  Quartet,  op.  59,  No.  3,  Beethoven ;  Songs : 
"Aufenthalt,"  Schubert,  and  "  Sommerabend,"  Lassen  (Miss 
Adelaide  Foresman);  Two  movements  from  Quartet  op.  192, 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

No.  2,  Raff;  "The  Resurrection,"  H.  R.  Shelley  (Miss  Fores- 
man)  ;  Quintet,  op.  99,  Rubinstein  (pianoforte,  William  H. 
Sherwood). 

Saturday,  Tenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  ninth  Popular 
(Young  People's)  Matinee.  A  "Request"  programme.  Sym- 
phony, B  minor,  No.  8  (unfinished)  Schubert;  Allegretto 
giojoso  and  Perpetuum  Mobile  from  Suite  op.  39,  Mosz- 
kowski ;  Andante  and  Finale  from  the  symphony,  ' '  Landliche 
Hochzeit,"  Goldmark;  Serenade,  No.  2,  Volkmann;  Baccha- 
nale,  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner;  Polonaise,  No.  2,  Liszt.  Con- 
ductor, Theodore  Thomas. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  P.  Smith's  fifty-sixth  organ  recital. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  D  minor  (Book  III,  No.  4,  Peters's 
edition)  Bach;  Andante  Grazioso,  D  major,  Henry  Smart; 
Pastorale,  E  major,  Cesar  Franck;  Fantasia,  "Ein'  feste  Burg," 
G.  A.  Thomas;  Largo,  G  major,  Handel;  Idyl,  "At  Evening," 
Dudley  Buck;  Priests'  March  from  "Athalie,"  Mendelssohn. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  Fifth  concert,  forty-sixth 
season,  of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  Overture, "  Manfred," 
Schumann;  "Siegfried  Idyl,"  Wagner;  Concerto  for  piano- 
forte, No.  5,  E-flat,  Beethoven  (Fraulein  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe) ; 
Symphony,  No.  i,  D  major,  op.  60,  Dvorak.  Conductor, 
Theodore  Thomas. 

Thursday,  fifteenth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
seventeenth  organ  recital.  Prelude  and  Fugue,  B  minor, 
Eugene  Gigout;  Larghetto  from  the  Twelfth  Concerto  for 
stringed  instruments,  Handel  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best); 
Sonata,  B-flat,  No.  4,  Mendelssohn;  Funeral  March  on  the 
Chorale,  "Jesu,  meine  Zuversicht,"  op.  12,  Otto  Dienel; 
"Prayer,"  in  B,  Franz  Bendel;  Overture,  "  Hagar,"  F.  A. 
Gore  Ouseley. 


March.]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Friday,  Sixteenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Anton  Seidl's  second  Symphony 
Concert.  Concerto  for  pianoforte,  No.  5,  E-flat,  Beethoven 
(William  H.  Sherwood);  "Romantic"  Symphony,  E-flat,  No. 
4,  Anton  Bruckner  (first  performance  in  America);  Overture, 
Bacchanale  and  first  scene  from  "  Tannhauser, "  as  rewritten 
for  the  Paris  performance  in  1 86 1, Wagner;  (Venus,  Frau  Lilli 
Kalisch-Lehmann,  Tannhauser,  Paul  Kalisch);  Funeral  March 
from  "Die  Gotterdammerung, "  Wagner.  Conductor,  Anton 
Seidl. 

The  "Romantic"  symphony  of  Anton  Bruckner  can  only  be 
called  a  symphony  by  allowing  that  the  descriptive  adjective 
"  romantic  "  has  had  a  justifiable  influence  on  classic  form.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Scherzo  (representative  of  a  hunt)  none  of  the 
movements  shows  the  form  of  the  classic  or  even  of  the  modern 
symphony,  as  followed  by  Brahms,  Rubinstein  and  Raff,  and  cer- 
tainly still  less  that  of  Schumann,  who  was  the  most  representative 
of  "romantic"  symphonists.  Everywhere  the  work  is  rhapsodical, 
episodical,  and  spasmodic.  There  is  no  logical  symphonic  develop- 
ment of  the  themes  given,  and  the  whole  work  seems  to  have  been 
written  more  for  the  sake  of  working  up  tremendous  orchestral 
climaxes  and  of  producing  peculiar  harmonic  effects  than  for  the 
sake  of  writing  2  symphony.  The  descriptive  title  of  ' '  Symphonic 
Fantasia"  in  four  movements,  would,  therefore,  have  been  con- 
siderably more  appropriate  than  the  designation  of  "  symphony." 
The  first  movement  in  E-flat  opens  with  a  broad  horn-call  on  a 
descending  fifth,  and  this  gradually  widens  into  a  rather  beautiful 
melody,  the  only  broad  and  entirely  satisfactory  symphonic  theme 
the  work  contains.  The  second  subject  in  D-flat  is  rather  weak  in 
invention,  and  only  interesting  through  the  peculiarity  of  orchestral 
treatment  to  which  it  is  subjected.  The  Andante  in  C  minor  is  the 
weakest  movement  of  the  four.  Not  only  is  the  principal  theme 
short-breathed,  jerky,  and  not  original,  but  even  the  treatment  is  not 
particularly  interesting.  A  short  episode  in  B  major,  however, 
which  interrupts  the  movement  (without  symphonic  reason  or  jus- 
tification), is  rather  beautiful,  and  in  the  off-hand  manner  in  which 

(126) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

it  is  dropped  into  the  composition  affords  a  short  pleasure  and  relief. 
The  Scherzo  is  undoubtedly  the  best  part  of  the  work.  It  stands 
in  B-flat,  and  the  use  of  six  horns  (strongly  suggestive  of  the  open- 
ing of  the  second  act  of  "Tristan")  gives  it  a  sonority  and  an 
orchestral  color  at  once  descriptive  of  its  title,  "The  Hunt."  The 
trio  in  G-flat,  which  the  composer  describes  as  ' '  Table  music  of 
the  hunters  in  the  wood,"  is  simplicity  itself  in  thought  and  orches- 
tration ;  at  its  conclusion  the  ' '  Hunt "  is  resumed.  The  last  move- 
ment is  thoroughly  Meyerbeerian  in  the  invention,  of  its  thematic 
material  and  in  the  use  of  the  brass,  and  therefore  in  strong  contrast 
to  the  preceding  movements,  which,  like  nearly  all  of  Bruckner's 
music,  are  tinctured  with  Wagner.  The  short  theme  in  C  minor,  the 
most  important  one  of  the  movement,  is  bodily  taken  from 
"Robert."  The  orchestral  treatment  is  a  constant  striving  (by 
the  use  of  crescendos)  after  dynamic  climaxes,  but  as  these  cli- 
maxes when  they  fall  upon  the  ear  with  appalling  power  do  not 
convey  any  musical  thoughts,  but  only  so  much  musical  noise,  their 
frequent  reiteration  finally  becomes  wearisome  and  unsatisfactory. 
The  Bacchanale  from  the  Paris  version  of  Wagner's  "Tann- 
hauser"  had  been  heard  here  frequently  under  Mr.  Thomas,  but 
Mr.  Seidl's  interpretation  showed,  if  less  finish  and  accuracy,  a 
more  tremendous  working  up  of  climaxes.  The  "Bacchanale" 
follows  right  after  the  Horselberg  music  in  the  overture,  thus 
excising  the  original  ending.  The  part  of  the  goddess  is  extended 
somewhat,  while  the  hero's  is  comparatively  unchanged.  The 
additions  are  of  considerably  more  modern  spirit  than  the  orig- 
inal "Tannhauser,"  and  certainly  show  Wagner's  tremendous  ad- 
vance in  orchestration.  The  influence  of  his  "  Tristan  und  Isolde" 
period  is  already  clearly  discernible  in  his  afterthought  to  ' '  Tann- 
hauser." OTTO  FLOERSHEIM. 


Saturday,  Seventeenth. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  2  p.  m.  German  Opera.  Beet- 
hoven's "Fidelio,"  performed  for  the  benefit  of  Fraulein 
Marianne  Brandt.  Cast :  Leonore,  Fraulein  Brandt ;  Florestan, 
Max  Alvary;  Rocco,  Emil  Fischer;  Minister,  Emil  Sanger; 


Marchl\  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON   1887-1888. 

Pizzaro,  Max  Heinrich ;  Marcellina,   Frau  Seidl-Kraus.     Con- 
ductor, Anton  Seidl. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-seventh  organ  re- 
cital. Prelude  and  Fugue,  B-flat,  (Book  I,  No.  8,  Novello's 
edition)  Bach;  "  Meditation  "  and  Allegretto,  (Book  III)  De- 
shayes;  Fantasia,  E-flat,  W.  T.  Best;  Offertoire,  op.  8,  Sa- 
lome; Allegro,  F-sharp  minor,  Guilmant;  Andante  from  the 
Sonata  op.  28,  Beethoven;  Romance,  E-flat,  Rubinstein; 
"  Coronation  March"  from  "  Le  Prophete,"  Meyerbeer. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  First  of  two  concerts  of  Irish  music 
given  by  Barton  McGuckin  and  William  Ludwig,  aided  by 
Miss  Amanda  Fabris,  Miss  Attalie  Claire,  John  Cheshire  and 
F.  Q.  Dulcken.  The  first  part  of  the  programme  consisted 
of  selections  from  Wallace's  "  Maritana,"  the  second  of  Irish 
ballads,  harp  solos,  and  a  quartet. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  Fifth  concert  of  the  Brooklyn 
Philharmonic  Society.  Symphony  No.  8,  F  major,  op.  93, 
Beethoven;  Concerto  for  violoncello,  op.  193,  Raff  (Victor 
Herbert) ;  Air,  "  Taglich  eilen  wir  im  Fluge,"  from  "  Der  Da- 
mon," Rubinstein  (Mme.  Giulia  Valda) ;  Symphonic  Fantasia, 
"Italy,"  Richard  Strauss.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

Monday,   Nineteenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  The  concert  of  Irish  music  of  Messrs. 
McGuckin  and  Ludwig  repeated. 

BIJOU  OPERA  HOUSE.  An  English  burlesque  operetta  entitled 
"The  Pearl  of  Pekin,"  adapted  from  "  Le  Fleur  de  The,"  by 
Lecocq,  produced. 

Tuesday,  Twentieth. 

STEINWAY    HALL.     8:15    p.  m.     Theodore   Thomas's   tenth   Sym- 
phony  Concert.      Symphony  No.   8,  F   major,  op.  93,   Beet- 
hoven;   Concerto   for  violin    No.  2,  op.  44,  Bruch    (Michael 
(128) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March 

Banner);  Air,  "Taglich  eilen  wir  im  Fluge,"  Rubinstein 
(Giulia  Valda);  Symphonic  Fantasia,  "Italy,"  Richard 
Strauss.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Emilio  Agramonte's  eighteenth 
annual  concert.  "Forty-second  Psalm,"  Mendelssohn  (Gou- 
nod Society,  Conductor,  William  E.  Mulligan)  ;  Danse 
Boheme  from  "Carmen,"  Bizet  (Miss  Blanche  Taylor); 
Songs:  "My  Jean,"  E.  A.  MacDowell,  and  "Murmuring 
Zephyrs,"  Jensen  (W.  F.  Tooker,  jr.);  "E  dunque  ver?" 
Rubinstein  (Miss  Jennie  Button);  " The  Worker,"  Gounod 
(Miss  Alma  Del  Martin);  "  Soave  immagine,"  Mercadante, 
and  "An  old  Garden,"  Hope  Temple  (Miss  Gertrude  Gris- 
wold) ;  Air  and  Variations,  Proch  (Miss  Sedohr  Rhodes) ; 
Quartet,  "  Quis  est  homo,"  Dvorak  (Mme.  Salvotti,  Mrs. 
Bulkley  Hills,  A.  L.  King  and  Emile  Coletti);  "The  Wan- 
derer," Schubert,  and  "  Clerici  beati  sunt,"  Hofmann 
(Walter  A.  Hudson);  Air  from  "  Le  Cid,"  Massenet  (Miss 
Augustine  Michel);  Duo  and  chorus  from  "Mary  Magdalen," 
Roder  (Miss  Josephine  Le  Clair,  Mr.  Coletti  and  the  Gounod 
Society);  "  Dreams,"  Strelezki,  and  "  Merry  Brown  Thrush," 
Buck  (Mrs.  Bulkley  Hills) ;  Spanish  Serenade,  Roder  (Mr. 
King);  "  Ministri  di  Baal"  from  "  Le  Prophete,"  Meyerbeer 
(Miss  Lizzie  Macnichol) ;  "  Souvenir  de  Moscou,"  Wieniawski 
(Carlos  Hasselbrink) ;  "  Inflammatus,"  Rossini  (Mme.  Salvotti 
and  Gounod  Society). 

Thursday,  Twenty-second. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
eighteenth  organ  recital.  Programme  of  Bach's  music.  Fan- 
tasia, in  G  (Book  IV,  No.  1 1) ;  Trio  Sonata,  E  minor,  No. 
4 ;  Toccata,  in  F  (Book  III,  No.  2) ;  Variations  on  the 
Chorale,  "Christ,  der  Du  bist  der  helle  Tag "  ;  Choral  Prelude, 
"Schmiicke  dich,  O  Hebe  Seele";  Concerto,  in  G  (arranged 
from  Vivaldi's  Violin  Concerto) ;  Passacaglia  with  Fugue,  C 
minor. 

(129) 


March.']  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Friday,  Twenty-third. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Second  pianoforte  recital  by  Ed- 
win Klahre.  Sonata  op.  26,  Beethoven;  Ballade,  G  minor, 
Chopin;  Etude,  op.  2,  No.  2,  Henselt;  "  Aufforderung  zum 
Tanz,"  Weber-Tausig ;  "  Carneval,"  op.  9,  Schumann;  Ro- 
manze,  F  major,  and  Barcarolle  No.  5,  Rubinstein;  "Le 
Rossignol"  and  "  Illustration  zur  Afrikanerin,"  Liszt. 

Saturday,  Twenty-fourth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  tenth  Popular 
(Young  People's)  Matinee.  Overture,  "Richard  III, "op.  68, 
Volkmann;  Fantasia,  op.  79,  Rheinberger;  Concerto  for 
pianoforte,  op.  16,  Grieg  (Johannes  Ziegler) ;  Symphonic 
Poem,  "Phaeton,"  Saint-Saens;  "Siegfried  Idyl,"  Wagner; 
Prelude  to  "Die  Meistersinger,"  Wagner.  Conductor,  Theo- 
dore Thomas. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-eighth  organ  recital. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  C  major  (Book  I,  No.  i,  Novello's  edition), 
Bach;  "Reverie,"  A  major,  B.  Luard  Selby;  Pastorale, 
Corelli;  "The  Lord  is  my  Light,"  Marsh  (Mrs.  Charles  Her- 
bert Clarke) ;  Fugue,  D  major,  Guilmant ;  Largo,  D  minor, 
Gigout ;  Air  (composed  for  Holsworthy  Church  bells),  S.  S. 
Wesley;  "The  better  Land,"  Cowen  (Mrs.  Clarke);  "Ave 
Maria,"  Bach-Gounod;  Toccata,  G  major,  Dubois. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  Michael  Banner,  violinist. 
Concerto,  A  minor,  op.  22,  Viotti;  "  Der  schonste  Engel," 
Graben- Hoffman,  and  "  Gestandniss,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Carl 
E.  Dufft);  "  Dreams,"  Strelezki,  and  "  Merry  Brown  Thrush," 
Buck  (Mrs.  Anna  Bulkley  Hills);  Adagio  from  the  Ninth 
Concerto,  op.  55,  Spohr;  "An  Old  Garden,"  Hope  Temple 
(Mrs.  Hills);  Chaconne,  Bach;  "Only  to  Love,"  Santley 
(Mr.  Dufft)  ;  Mazourka,  op.  26,  Zarzycki. 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

Sunday,  Twenty-fifth. 

BROADWAY  THEATRE.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Campanini 
Concert  Company. 

Monday,  Twenty-sixth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Fourth  and  last  concert  of  the  Bos- 
ton Symphony  Orchestra.  Symphony  in  F,  No.  3,  Brahms; 
Scene  and  Air,  "Ha!  endlich  ist  der  Wurf  gefallen,"  from 
"Armide,"  Gluck  (Mme.  Lilli  Kalisch-Lehmann);  Symphonic 
Prologue  to  Shakespeare's  "Othello,"  Arnold  Krug;  Air, 
"Dies  Bildniss  ist  bezaubernd  schon,"  Mozart  (Paul  Kalisch); 
Prelude  and  Isolde's  death  from  "  Tristan  und  Isolde,"  Wagner 
(Isolde,  Frau  Kalisch-Lehmann).  Conductor, Wilhelm  Gericke. 

Tuesday,    Twenty-seventh. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  given  by  Caryl  Florio,  the 
programme  composed  of  his  own  compositions.  Symphony 
No.  i,  in  G;  Song,  "St.  Agnes'  Eve"  (Miss  Ella  Earle;  vi- 
oloncello obbligato,  Michael  Brand,  the  composer  at  the 
organ) ;  Concerto  for  pianoforte,  A-flat,  (Conrad  Ansorge) ; 
Scene,  "The  Siren's  Charm"  (Miss  Earle;  clarinet  obbli- 
gato, Joseph  Schreurs,  violoncello  obbligato,  Mr.  Brand,  the 
composer  at  the  pianoforte);  Symphony  No.  2,  C  minor. 
Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

Mr.  Florio  has  figured  in  the  musical  activities  of  New  York 
ever  since  1859,  when  he  began  his  career  as  choir  boy  at  Trinity 
Church.  He  is  of  English  birth,  but  his  interests  are  those  of 
native  American  composers,  and  he  deserves  all  of  the  encour- 
agement which  he  received  on  this  occasion.  The  audience  was 
fair  in  point  of  numbers  and  exceedingly  kind  toward  the  concert- 
giver.  From  one  point  of  view  it  would  have  been  better  had 
greater  discrimination  characterized  its  manifestations  of  approval, 
for  it  was  somewhat  grievous  to  the  judicious  to  hear  the  bulk  of 
the  applause  bestowed  on  the  weaker  numbers  of  the  programme 


March.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

simply  because  they  came  early  in  the  evening,  and  to  have  the 
most  beautiful  music  passed  by  with  scarcely  a  hand.  It  discounted 
the  value  of  the  approbation.  After  the  first  symphony,  which 
contained  the  least  meritorious  music  of  the  evening  (the  utterly 
uninteresting  vocal  numbers  excepted),  there  was  a  great  outburst 
of  applause,  and  Mr.  Florio  was  brought  forward  by  Mr.  Thomas 
to  acknowledge  the  tribute.  A  similar  scene  followed  the  second 
of  the  vocal  pieces,  while  the  pianoforte  concerto,  whose  slow  move- 
ment and  the  latter  portion  of  whose  finale  was  worth  a  hundred 
pages  of  the  music  singled  out  for  applause,  seemed  to  miss  appreci- 
ation entirely,  notwithstanding  that  the  solo  was  played  in  splendid 
style  by  Mr.  Ansorge.  The  portions  of  the  concerto  mentioned 
(barring  a  vulgar  use  of  the  cymbals  in  the  finale),  and  the  first 
movement  of  the  second  symphony  were  well  calculated  to  excite 
not  only  the  surprise,  but  the  admiration  of  musicians,  professional 
as  well  as  amateur.  It  was  in  the  highest  degree  promising  for  the 
future  of  native  art  to  discover  in  them  not  only  a  dignified  type  of 
beauty,  but  an  energy  of  spirit  and  an  easy  command  of  musical 
form  which  testified  to  the  possession  of  real  creative  power  by  Mr. 
Florio. 

The  two  symphonies  are  respectively  in  G  major  and  C  minor, 
and  were  composed  in  1887.  The  degree  of  progress  which  the 
first  movement  of  the  second  symphony  in  particular  shows  over 
the  first  one  can  scarcely  believe  to  have  been  accomplished 
within  a  twelvemonth.  Only  in  the  development,  not  of  the  prin- 
cipal subject,  but  of  the  episodical  material  in  the  illustrative  por- 
tion of  the  first  movement,  does  the  G  major  movement  compare 
with  that  in  C  minor.  In  its  orchestration  the  former  is  years 
behind  the  latter.  It  is  the  work  of  a  'prentice  hand,  monotonous 
in  color,  and  presenting  only  middle  tints.  It  is  wanting  in  all 
poignancy  of  feeling,  wanting  in  inspiration,  and  its  chief  merit 
is  its  good  logic,  which  had  commendable  exposition  too  in  the  last 
movement.  The  second  symphony  is  much  more  varied  in  color 
and  better  in  invention.  Mr.  Thomas  and  his  men  played  the  two 
works  with  as  much  care  as  they  are  wont  to  bestow  on  the  best 
foreign  music.  In  fact,  Mr.  Ansorge  and  Mr.  Thomas  both  deserve 
the  gratitude  of  all  native  composers  for  the  zeal  and  skill  which 
they  displayed  in  interpreting  Mr.  Florio's  compositions. 

('3*  ) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [March. 

Thursday,    Twenty-ninth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
nineteenth  organ  recital.  Motet,  "  Insanae  et  vanae  curae," 
Haydn  (arranged  by  Best);  Choral  Prelude,  "Christ  lag  in 
Todes-Banden,"  Bach;  Sonata  No.  6,  op.  137,  Merkel;  "  Evo- 
cation a  la  Chapelle  Sixtine,"  Liszt;  Introduction  and  Fugue, 
C  minor,  Th.  Parmentier;  Prelude  to  "Parsifal,"  Wagner. 

Saturday,  Thirty-first. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  eleventh  Popular 
(Young  People's)  Matinee.  "  Marche  Slave, "  Tschaikowsky ; 
Overture,  "Rienzi,"  Wagner;  "Divertissement  a  la  Hon- 
groise,"  op.  54,  Schubert  (for  orchestra  by  F.  Liszt  and  Max 
Erdmannsdorfer) ;  Fantaisie  Hongroise,  Liszt  (pianoforte,  Mrs. 
M.  Beardsley);  "The  Fairies'  Dance,"  for  harp,  Parish  Alvars 
(John  Cheshire) ;  Solo  for  oboe,  St.  Verroust  (Felix  Bour) ; 
Theme  and  Variations  from  the  Symphony  ' '  Landliche  Hoch- 
zeit,"  Goldmark;  Hungarian  Rhapsody  No.  2,  Liszt.  Con- 
ductor, Theodore  Thomas. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  fifty-ninth  organ  recital. 
Fantasia  (in  the  form  of  an  echo),  J.  P.  Sweelinck ;  "The 
Darkness" and  "  Beside  the  Cross,"  from  "The  Redemption," 
Gounod  (arranged  by  G.  C.  Martin) ;  Funeral  March,  C  minor, 
Schubert;  "O,  cessata  di  piazarmi,"  Scarlatti;  Variations  on 
the  "  Crucifixus"  of  Bach's  Mass  in  B  minor,  Liszt. 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 


APRIL 

Monday,  Second. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  National 
Opera  Company.  Rubinstein's  "Nero."  Cast:  Nero,  Eloi 
Sylva;  Julius  Vindex,  William  Ludwig;  Tigettinus,  William 
Merton ;  Balbillus,  George  H.  Broderick ;  Saccus,  Joseph 
Pache;  Poppaa  Sabina,  Charlotte  Walker;  Epicharis,  Clara 
Poole ;  Chtysa,  Sophia  Traubmann ;  Agrippina,  Helen  Luding- 
ton;  Lupus,  Amanda  Fabris.  Conductor,  Gustav  Hinrichs. 

Tuesday,  Third. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  eleventh 
Symphony  Concert.  Overture,  Scherzo  and  Finale,  op.  52, 
Schumann;  Fugue  for  strings,  op.  133,  Beethoven;  Symphony 
No.  3,  C  minor,  op.  78,  Saint-Saens.  Conductor,  Theodore 
Thomas. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  National 
Opera  Company.  First  performance  in  New  York  of  an 
English  version  of  Goldmark's  "Queen  of  Sheba."  Cast: 
King  Solomon,  Alonzo  Stoddard;  High  Priest,  Frank  Vetta; 
Sulamith,  Bertha  Pierson;  Assad,  Charles  Bassett;  Baal- 
Hanan,  William  Merton;  Queen  of  Sheba,  Clara  Poole; 
Astaroth,  Amanda  Fabris.  Conductor,  Gustav  Hinrichs. 

Wednesday,  fourth. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  National 
Opera  Company.  Wagner's  "Tannhauser,"  for  the  first  time 
in  English  in  New  York.  Cast :  Landgrave  Herrmann,  Frank 
Vetta;  Elisabeth,  Bertha  Pierson;  Tannhduser,  Eloi  Sylva; 

(i34) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASOX  1887-1888.  \AprU. 

rcn  Eschenback,  Wffljam  Lndwig;  Walter  TOM  d*r 
Vogehcdde,  Charles  Bassett:  Biterotf.  Aloozo  Stoddard:  Hdn- 
rick,  der  Sckraber,  Joseph  Pacne;  Rdnmar,  George  H. 
Broderick;  Venus,  Sophia  Traubmann:  Skepkeri.  By,  AttaHe 
Claire.  Conductor,  Gnstar  Hinrichs. 

Thursday.  Fifth. 


GRACE  CHURCH.  3  p.  m.  Samnri  p.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
twentieth  organ  recital  Prelude  and  Fugue,  E-flat  (Book  III. 
No.  i),  Bach;  Andanttno  from  die  Symphony, " The  Con- 
secration of  Sounds."  Spohr  (arranged  by  W.T.  Best);  Sonata, 
D  minor,  NO.II,  00.148,  Rheinberger;  Meditation  Rehgiense. 
B  minor,  Octave  Bonah;  Skmano  in  G,  E.  J.  Hopkins;  Piece 
Symphoniqne,  C  minor,  op.  14,  No.  2,  Grieg  (arranged  by 
X.  H.  Allen,  MS.). 

ACADEMY  or  MUSK.  7145  p.  m.  Opera  in  Fj>gCA  by  die 
National  Opera  Company.  Gounod's  "Faust."  Cast:  Faust, 
Barton  McGoddn:  Mepkutapkdis,  Frank  Vetta:  Valentine, 
Alonzo  Stoddard;  Brmnier,  George  H.  Broderick;  &WL 
AttaHe  Claire;  Marguerite,  Amanda  Fabris;  Martita,  Agnes 
Perring.  Condador,  Gnstar  Hinrichs. 

Friday,  Sixik. 

CHJCKERIXO  HATJ..  8  p.m.  Anton  SeidTs  third,  and  last,  Sym- 
phony Concert.  Symphony  in  F,  No.  8,  op.  93,  Beethoven; 
First  movement  of  the  Concerto  for  violin,  Tsrfaaiku»>kj 
(Miss  Maud  Powefl) ;  Concerto  for  pianbfale,  op.  16,  Grieg 
(Alexander  Lambert);  Selections  from  "Die  rmfimiiiin,  ans 
dem  Serafl,"  Mozart:  a  Overture,  b  Air/'Hier  son  ich  dkh 
denm  sehen"  (Paul  Kafiscfa).  c  Air,"Ach,  ich  fiebte"  (Fran 
LOfi  Kahsch-Lehmann).  ^  Romania,"  In 
gen  war0  (Herr  Kahsch).  ^  Air,  "Wekhe  We 
Lost"  (Fran  Kahsch-Lehmann);  Symphony, " L'Ours,"  C 
major,  Haydn.  Conductor,  Anton  SeidL 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

There  is  propriety  in  a  brief  discussion  of  some  features  of  this 
concert.  The  contrast  which  the  programme  presented  to  the 
schemes  which  we  have  come  to  look  upon  as  proper  to  an  enter- 
tainment of  such  dignity,  is  one  of  these  features,  though  it  does 
not  call  for  extended  comment.  To  some  extent  it  brought  its 
punishment  with  it  by  making  the  concert  monotonous.  There 
were  two  and  a  half  hours  of  music  but  scarcely  any  in  a  slow 
tempo.  Neither  of  the  two  symphonies  performed  contained 
a  slow  movement,  only  one  of  the  four  vocal  numbers  was  a 
quietly-flowing  cantilena,  and  for  contrast  of  mood  the  public  had 
to  depend  upon  the  brief  Adagio  of  the  pianoforte  concerto.  This 
defect  was  further  accentuated  by  the  most  noteworthy  feature, 
and,  as  I  believe,  most  grievous  fault  in  Mr.  Seidl's  reading  of 
Beethoven's  exquisitely  sunny  and  spirited  symphony  in  F,  No.  8. 
This  reading  deviated  so  widely  from  tradition  in  the  choice  of 
tempi  for  the  second  and  third  movements  that  I  am  forced  to  the 
suspicion  that  Mr.  Seidl  chose  the  symphony  for  performance  in 
order  to  direct  attention  to  his  views  on  this  very  subject.  The 
dainty  Allegretto  Scherzando  was  played  with  unheard  of  rapidity, 
and  the  Minuet  considerably  slower  than  the  world  is  accustomed 
to.  In  effect,  Mr.  Seidl  changed  the  relations  which,  according 
to  Beethoven's  obvious  intentions,  the  two  movements  bear  toward 
the  work  as  a  whole.  He  treated  the  second  movement  as  the 
Scherzo  of  the  symphony  and  the  Minuet  as  its  slow  movement. 

The  anomalous  character  of  the  Allegretto  Scherzando  long  ago 
caused  the  question  to  be  raised  whether  Beethoven  intended  it  to 
be  looked  upon  as  filling  the  place  of  the  slow  movement  or  the 
Scherzo.  His  own  metronome  marks  seem  to  settle  the  matter. 
He  intended  that  in  it  eighty-eight  eighth  notes  should  be  played 
to  the  minute.  In  the  Minuet  he  marks  the  quarter  notes  126. 
That  is  to  say,  as  Nottebohm  has  pointed  out,  that  Beethoven 
imagined  the  quarter  notes  nearly  three  times  as  slow  in  the  sec- 
ond movement  as  in  the  third.  Besides,  the  third  movement  is 
a  Minuet  with  a  trio;  it  corresponds  to  the  formal  requirements 
of  the  symphony  as  Beethoven  found  them.  His  first  symphony 
has  a  Minuet ;  he  did  not  introduce  the  Scherzo  until  the  second ; 
he  returned  to  the  Minuet  in  the  eighth.  The  metronome  marks 
in  this  case  ought  to  be  conclusive,  and  they  are  strengthened 

(136) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  \Aprn. 

by  the  circumstance  that  a  mark  put  by  Schindler,  Beethoven's 
friend  and  biographer,  to  the  canon  which  Beethoven  improvised 
at  a  dinner  party  given  in  honor  of  Malzel,  inventor  of  the  metro- 
nome, indicates  even  slower  time  than  Beethoven  imagined  for 
the  movement  in  the  symphony,  which  has  the  melody  of  that 
canon  for  its  subject.  Schindler's  mark  is  eighth  notes,  72. 
Mr.  Seidl,  using  the  rubato  freely,  varied  between  100  and  120. 
The  Minuet  he  played  nearly  one-quarter,  the  trio  fully  one-third 
slower  than  Beethoven  intended  it  to  be  played.  The  latter  part 
of  the  movement  had,  indeed,  a  truly  mucilaginous  flow.  Beet- 
hoven once  said  that  there  should  be  no  controversy  over  religion 
or  thoroughbass.  He  left  the  tempo  question  open,  and  was 
unquestionably  not  in  favor  of  subordinating  the  emotions  of  a  con- 
ductor to  the  ticking  of  a  machine;  but,  in  this  case,  I  can  find  no 
reason  or  justification  for  the  perverted  tempi  introduced  by  Mr. 
Seidl.  The  Allegretto  Scherzando  lost  much  of  its  daintiness 
of  humor,  grace,  and  playfulness;  it  sounded  forced,  harassed, 
hurried,  hunted. 

"Where  is  the  bear?"  was  the  thought  that  seemed  to  speak 
from  the  quizzical  expression  on  many  faces  during  the  performance 
of  the  Haydn  Symphony  in  C  major,  known  on  the  catalogue  as 
"The  Bear."  If  he  was  present  in  the  symphony  at  all  he  was 
a  much  more  decorous  animal  than  his  latterday  namesake;  his 
strongest  disposition  seemed  to  be  a  liking  for  peculiarly  energetic, 
ingenious,  and  beautiful  counterpoint  as  a  means  of  Terpsichorean 
inspiration.  Even  with  the  last  movement  in  mind  it  would  puzzle 
one  to  say  why  this  symphony  might  not  as  well  be  called 
"Le  Chien  du  Jardinier"  as  "L'Ours."  It  was  the  habit  of  the 
sweet,  simple,  gentle  old  Haydn  to  imagine  all  sorts  of  romances 
to  supply  him  with  sentiments  and  colors  for  his  symphonies.  He 
told  his  French  admirer,  Bombet,  that  in  one  of  these  works  he 
had  depicted  the  incidents  of  a  voyage  to  America  and  back,  the 
parting,  tempest,  arrival  on  a  strange  shore,  music  and  dancing 
of  savages,  successful  barter  with  them  and  return  to  home  and 
friends  after  a  narrow  escape  from  shipwreck.  Evidently  the  mind 
of  the  genial  and  devout  old  man  was  quite  as  hazy  as  that  of  the 
ordinary  German  peasant  as  to  the  character  of  the  occupants 
of  the  American  ports  a  century  ago.  For  the  subject  of  another 

(137) 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

symphony  Bombet  says  Haydn  had  imagined  a  sort  of  dialogue 
between  Jesus  Christ  and  an  obstinate  sinner,  and  afterward  fol- 
lowed the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son.  He  was,  it  seems,  not  only 
a  believer  in  programme  music,  but  also  a  percursor  of  a  well- 
known  Chicago  symphonist.  The  titles  of  these  fanciful  romances 
he  sometimes  gave  to  the  symphonies,  and  so  we  find  such  names 
as  "The  Fair  Circassian,"  "Roxalana,"  "The  Hermit,"  "The 
Persian,"  "The  Poltroon,"  "The  Queen,"  and  even  "The  Enam- 
ored Schoolmaster,"  in  his  list  of  symphonies.  Some  such  ingenu- 
ous imagining,  I  take  it,  is  responsible  for  the  fantastic  title  of  this 
symphony  which,  however,  is  anything  but  ursine. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music.  8  p.  m.  Opera  in  English  by  the  National 
Opera  Company.  Wagner's  "Lohengrin."  Cast:  Henry  I, 
Frank  Vetta ;  Lohengrin,  Barton  McGuckin ;  Elsa,  Charlotte 
Walker;  Telramund,  Alonzo  Stoddard;  Herald,  William  Mer- 
ton;  Ortrud,  Clara  Poole.  Conductor,  Gustav  Hinrichs. 

Saturday,  Seventh. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music.  Opera  in  English  by  the  National  Opera 
Company.  2  p.  m.  "Nero;"  8  p.  m.  "Faust,"  Charles  Bas- 
sett  in  the  titular  role.  Conductor,  Gustav  Hinrichs. 

SOUTH  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Gerrit  Smith's  sixtieth  organ  recital. 
Prelude  and  Fugue,  G  minor  (Book  II,  Peters's  edition),  Bach; 
"Romance  sans  paroles"  and  "  Communion"  (Book  I),  Henri 
Deshayes;  "Easter"  March,  Merkel;  Nocturne,  G  minor,  op. 
37,  No.  i,  Chopin;  Variations  on  a  Scotch  air,  Dudley  Buck; 
Serenade,  A  minor,  Harry  Rowe  Shelley;  Sonata,  E  minor, 
A.  G.  Ritter. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Testimonial  Concert  to  Miss  Jose- 
phine Le  Clair.  Organ  Fugue,  B  minor,  Bach  (Harry  Rowe 
Shelley);  Part  Songs:  "At  Evening,"  Massenet,  and  "  The 
Wayside  Brook,"  Rheinberger  (Gounod  Vocal  Society) ; 
"A  Summer  Night,"  A.  Goring  Thomas  (Miss  Le  Clair); 
"To  the  Evening  Star,"  from  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner  (Max 

(138) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [April. 

Heinrich) ;  Songs:  "O  linger  yet,  ye  moments  golden,"  Otto 
Floersheim,  and  "  Das  erste  Lied,"  Grammann  (Mme.  Anna 
Lankow);  "By  Babylon's  Wave,"  Gounod  (Gounod  Vocal 
Society) ;  Scena,  "  Ritorna  vincitor,"  from  "Aida,"  Verdi  (Miss 
Charlotte  Walker) ;  Songs:  "Love's  Dream,"  Roder,  and  "In 
Springtime,"  Schnell  (Miss  Le  Clair) ;  Aria,  "Celeste  Aida," 
Verdi  (Whitney  Mockridge) ;  Trios:  " Mondscheinnacht, " 
Lachner,  and  "  Nocturne,"  Otto  Floersheim  (Miss  Walker, 
Miss  Le  Clair  and  Mme.  Lankow). 

Sunday,  Eighth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Mannergesangverein 
Eichenkranz,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Home. 
Overture,  "Anacreon,"  Cherubim;  "Das  Herz  am  Rhein," 
Schultz;  "  Du  rothe  Rose  auf  griiner  Haid,"  Otto  Lessmann 
(Heinrich  Dusenzi);  "Wanderer"  Fantasia,  for  pianoforte  and 
orchestra,  Schubert-Liszt  (Conrad  Ansorge);  "Krieger's  Nacht- 
wache,"  L.  Liebe;  "Genius  cocci"  from"Bilder  aus  Wei- 
mar" for  orchestra,  C.  Them;  Pizzicati  from  "Sylvia,"  Deli- 
bes;  "  Der  Landsknecht,"  cantata  for  male  chorus,  soli,  and 
orchestra,  Wilhelm  Taubert  (soli,  Mrs.  Ida  Euler-Klein,  Hein- 
rich Dusenzi,  Max  Treumann,  and  George  Prehn).  Conductor, 
Arthur  Claassen. 

Monday,  Ninth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Testimonial  Concert  to  Whitney 
Mockridge.  Ballade,  B  minor,  Liszt  (Edwin  Klahre) ;  "To 
the  Evening  Star,"  from  "Tannhauser,"  Wagner  (Max  Hein- 
rich); Scene  and  Air,  "E  dunque  ver?"  Rubinstein  (Miss 
Jennie  Dutton);  "Faust"  Fantasia  for  violin,  Sarasate  (Miss 
Maud  Powell);  Cavatina,  "Salve  dimora,"  Gounod  (Mr. 
Mockridge) ;  Songs:  "Nur  wer  die  Sehnsucht  kennt,"  Tschai- 
kowsky, "  The  Daily  Question,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Miss  Emily 
Winant) ;  Scherzo,  B-flat  minor,  Chopin  (Mr.  Klahre) ;  Lar- 
ghetto,  Nardini,  and  Caprice,  Agarew,  for  violin  (Miss  Powell) ; 
Quartet,"  Now  the  Concert  is  all  over,"  Pinsuti. 

(i39) 


April.'}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Tuesday,  Tenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Theodore  Thomas's  twelfth  and 
last  Symphony  Concert.  Toccata,  Bach;  Concerto,  G  major, 
Bach  (violin  obbligato,  Max  Bendix);  Scene  and  Air, "Ah! 
Perfido !  "  Beethoven  (Mme.  Fursch-Madi) ;  "  Eine  Faust  Sym- 
phonic," Liszt  (in  the  finale  tenor  solo  by  Theodore  Toedt, 
chorus  by  the  German  Liederkranz).  Conductor,  Theodore 
Thomas. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Carri  brothers, 
assisted  by  Miss  Margarethe  von  Mitzlaff  and  C.  Bareuther. 
Suite  for  violin  and  pianoforte,  G  minor,  op.  26,  Franz  Ries; 
"  Mignon,"  Liszt;  "Chanson  sans  paroles,"  "  Le  Temps  qui 
s'envole,"  "  Une  fleur  Printanniere,"  H.  Carri;  Adagio  and 
Rondo  from  the  first  concerto  for  violin,  Paganini ;  Polonaise, 
No.  2,  Liszt;  Airs  Hongrois,  Ernst;  Songs:  "  Waldesgesprach," 
"  Mit  Myrthen  und  Rosen,"  "Ich  grolle  nicht,"  Schumann; 
Trio,  No.  i,  op.  15,  Rubinstein. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  8  p.  m.  Third  private  concert, 
tenth  season  of  the  Apollo  Club.  "On  the  Sea,"  Buck; 
Nocturne,  F.  Doppler  (Philharmonic  Club) ;  "  On  the  Sea- 
shore," Theodore  Eisfeldt;  "Thou  great,  mighty  Sea,"  Delibes 
(Miss  Emma  Juch) ;  Sonata,  for  the  violin,  Rust  (Mme.  Camilla 
Urso);  "On  Upper  Langbathsea,"  Engelsberg;  "Sea  Greet- 
ing," A.  W.  Thayer;  "Witches'  Dance,"  Paganini  (Mme.  Urso); 
"The  Trout"  and  "Hedge  Roses,"  Schubert  (Miss  Juch); 
"The  Legend  of  Heinz  von  Stein,"  A.  W.  Thayer;  Andante, 
from  op.  79,  Jadassohn  and  Swedish  Dance,  Gouvy  (Philhar- 
monic Club);  "The  Cheerful  Wanderer,"  Mendelssohn. 

Wednesday,  Eleventh. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8:15  p.  m.  Concert  by  Miss  Lucie  E.  Maw- 
son,  pianiste,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Marie  Gramm,  soprano. 
Sonata,  D  major,  op.  10,  No.  3,  Beethoven;  "Ich  liebe  dich," 
Grieg;  "  Wonneverkiindigung,"  Sucher;  Bouree,  Bach;  Sonata, 

(140) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [April. 

D  minor,  Scarlatti;  Romance,  op.  28,  Schumann;  Capriccio, 
B  minor.  Brahms;  Barcarolle,  G  major,  Rubinstein;  Tocca- 
tina,  op.  19,  Rheinberger;  "  Du  bist  die  Herrlichste  von 
Allen,"  F.  Ries;  "Abschied,"  and  "  Er  ist  gekommen,"  Franz; 
Nocturne,  C-sharp  minor,  op.  27,  No.  i,  Waltz,  A-flat,  op.  64, 
No.  3,  and  Etude,  F,  op.  10,  No.  8,  Chopin ;  Hungarian  Rhap- 
sody No.  12,  Liszt. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:30  p.  m.  Second  concert,  second  season 
of  the  Gounod  Vocal  Society.  Organ  Prelude  and  Fugue,  C 
minor,  Hesse  (William  Edward  Mulligan);  "By  Babylon's 
Wave,"  Gounod;  Air  from  "  Samson  and  Delilah,"  Saint-Saens 
(Miss  Josephine  Le  Clair);  "At  Evening,"  Massenet;  "The 
Wayside  Brook,"  Rheinberger;  Air,  "Plus  grand  dans  son 
obscurite,"  from  "La  Reine  de  Saba,"  Gounod  (Mme.  Maria 
Salvotti);  Quartet,  "  O,  Salutaris,"  Gounod  (Mme.  Salvotti, 
Miss  Le  Clair,  Alfred  Silbernagel,  and  Emile  Coletti);  "The 
First  Walpurgis  Night,"  Mendelssohn  (soli,  Miss  Le  Clair,  Mr. 
Silbernagel,  and  Mr.  Coletti).  Conductor,  Mr.  Mulligan; 
accompanists,  Mr.  Agramonte,  Mr.  Mulligan,  and  E.  J. 
Biedermann. 

Thursday,  Twelfth. 

GRACE  CHURCH.  4  p.  m.  Samuel  P.  Warren's  one  hundred  and 
twenty-first  organ  recital.  Praeludium,  "Eroica,"  in  F,  G.  B. 
Van  Krieken;  Adagio  and  Fugue  from  the  Fifth  Sonata,  for 
violin  solo,  Bach  (arranged  by  W.  T.  Best);  Andante  and 
Variations  from  the  Septuor,  Beethoven  (arranged  by  W.  T. 
Best) ;  Organ  Symphony,  F  minor,  No.  5,  C.  M.  Widor. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:30  p.  m.  Second  private  concert,  first  season, 
of  the  Rubinstein  Club.  "The  Water  Sprite,"  Schumann; 
"The  Song  of  the  Birds,"  Rubinstein;  Romanza  and  Scherzo 
from  the  Quartet,  op.  17,  Rubinstein  (Beethoven  String  Quar- 
tet); Expectation,  H.  Hofmann;  "Ah!  how  oft  my  soul  is 
moved,"  Bendel;  "Wind  of  Evening,"  E.  N.  Anderson; 
Fantasia  for  Harp  on  "  Un  Ballo  in  Maschera,"  Toulmin  (Miss 
Maud  Morgan);  "God  in  Nature,"  Schubert  (solo  quartet, 


April]  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Miss  Marie  Bissell,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Danforth,  Mrs.  S.  B.  Anderson, 
Mrs.  C.  M.  Raymond);  "Ave  Maria,"  Henry  Holden  Huss 
(soli,  Miss  Bessie  H.  Grovesteen,  and  Miss  Lizzie  Boyer) ; 
Bolero,  "Le  Muletier  de  Tarragone,"  Henrion  (Francis 
Fischer  Powers);  "Under  all  the  Tree-tops  is  Rest,"  Fr. 
Reichel;  Berceuse,  Grieg,  and  "The  Mill,"  from  op.  192, 
No.  2,  Raff  (Beethoven  Quartet);  "You  Spotted  Snakes,"  G. 
A.  Macfarren.  Conductor,  William  R.  Chapman. 

Mr.  Huss'  "Ave  Maria"  was  composed  for  the  Rubinstein 
Club,  and  had  its  first  performance  at  this  concert.  It  is  written 
for  soprano  and  alto  soli,  chorus  of  women's  voices,  with  accompa- 
niment of  harp,  organ,  strings,  and  violin  and  violoncello  obbligato. 
It  was  a  peculiarly  pleasing  number  in  the  scheme  from  the  fact 
that  it  contained  almost  all  the  variety  in  tonal  color  offered  by  the 
concert.  Its  full  effectiveness,  however,  was  not  reached — a  string 
sextet  being  employed  in  the  instrumental  part  instead  of  the 
larger  band  which  the  circumstances  demanded.  As  a  composi- 
tion the  ' 'Ave  Maria  "  reflects  great  credit  upon  Mr.  Huss'  learning 
and  artistic  instincts.  Its  melodic  material  is  graceful,  and  not  at 
all  commonplace,  and  his  use  of  harmonies  admirable.  Its  chief 
defect  seemed  to  be  a  slight  lack  of  homogeneous  flow. 

Saturday,  fourteenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  2  p.  m.  Mr.  Thomas's  twelfth  Popular  (Young 
People's)  Matinee.  Passacaglia,  op.  132,  Rheinberger;  Ga- 
votte, Sicilienne  and  Bouree,  Bach ;  Symphonic  Poem,  ' '  Life, 
Love,  Strife  and  Victory,"  Ferdinand  Praeger;  Largo,  Handel 
(violin  solo,  Max  Bendix) ;  Minuet,  Boccherini;  "Liebeslied" 
and  "Hochzeits  Klange,"  Bruno  Oscar  Klein;  "  Waldweben," 
from  "Siegfried,"  Wagner;  "  Bal  Costume"  (second  series), 
Rubinstein.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music,  BROOKLYN.  Sixth  concert,  and  last,  of  the 
thirtieth  season  of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society.  Over- 
ture, "Tannhauser,"  Wagner;  "Siegfried  Ideal,"  Wagner; 
Concerto,  No.  i,  E  minor,  op.  n,  Chopin  (Tausig's  edition, 
Rafael  Joseffy) ;  Symphony,  "  Landliche  Hochzeit,"  Gold- 
mark.  Conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [April. 

Sunday,  Fifteenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Concert  by  the  Mannergesangverein 
Arion.  Dramatic  Overture,  "Melpomene,"  George  W.  Chad- 
wick;  "Young  Siegfried,"  Zollner;  Scene  from  the  unfinished 
opera  "Demetrius,"  Joachim  (Fraulein  Louise  Meisslinger) ; 
"Nachtzauber,"  A.  M.  Storch;  "Spanisches  Standchen,"  Al- 
fred Dregert;  Intermezzo  from  the  cantata  "  Sleeping  Beauty," 
F.  H.  Cowen  (tenor  solo,  Charles  Kaiser) ;  "  Normannenzug, " 
Bruch;  "Die  drei  Zigeuner,"  Liszt  (Fraulein  Meisslinger); 
"Die  verfallene  Miihle,"  Rheinberger;  "Der  Lenz  ist  da," 
Wilhelm  Sturm;  Incidental  Music  for  Shakespeare's  "Tem- 
pest," F.  Van  der  Stucken;  Zwei  Altslavische  Lieder,  Hugo 
Jiingst.  Conductor,  F.  Van  der  Stucken. 

Monday,  Sixteenth. 

ACADEMY  OF  Music.  8  p.  m.  Italian  opera  by  Signer  Italo  Cam- 
panini's  Company;  business  manager,  Frederick  A.  Schwab. 
First  representation  in  America  of  Verdi's  "Otello."  Cast: 
Otello,  Signor  Marconi;  lago,  Signer  Galassi;  Cassio,  Signor 
De  Comis;  Roderigo,  Signor  Jovine;  Lodovico,  Signor  Bologna; 
Montana,  Signor  Maina ;  Un  Araldo,  Signor  Morelli ;  Desdemona, 
Signora  Tetrazzini ;  Emilia,  Signora  Scalchi.  Conductor,  Sig- 
nor Cleofonte  Campanini. 

From  what  point  of  view  is  ' '  Otello "  to  be  considered  ?  Is  it 
an  Italian  opera  in  the  sense  that  the  term  is  understood  to  have 
when  we  speak  of  the  works  of  Rossini,  Donizetti,  and  Bellini,  or 
even  the  Verdi  of  thirty  years  ago  ?  Is  it  a  French  opera  ?  A  Ger- 
man opera  ?  Or  a  music  drama  in  the  Wagnerian  sense  ?  To  the 
connoisseur,  if  not  to  the  idle  prattler  about  music,  each  of  these 
designations  suggests  a  distinct  idea;  a  form,  a  style,  a  manner. 
Which  of  them  might  with  most  propriety  be  applied  to  Verdi's 
latest  and  probably  last  creation  ?  The  circumstance  that  the  book 
is  in  the  Italian  language  has  little  to  do  with  the  question,  no 
matter  how  loudly  an  excitable  listener,  as  on  this  first  represen- 
tation, may  shout  "Viva  1'  Italiano,"  to  testify  his  admiration  for 
Verdi's  music.  "The  style  is  the  man."  It  is  many  years  since 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Verdi  ceased  to  write  operas  for  the  Carnival  season  in  his  native 
country;  "  La  Forza  del  Destino"  was  composed  for  St.  Petersburg, 
"Don  Carlos"  for  Paris, ' 'Aida "  for  Cairo.  "Otello"  was  com- 
posed and  produced  under  anomalous  conditions,  and  though  it  first 
saw  the  stage  lamps  at  Milan,  its  style  is  not  distinctively  Italian. 
Neither  is  it  distinctively  French  or  German.  It  is  of  its  own  kind, 
Verdian;  characteristic  of  the  composer  of  "  Rigoletto,"  "Trova- 
tore"  and  "Traviata"  in  its  essence,  though  widely  different  from 
them  in  expression.  The  composer  himself  indicates  that  he  desires 
it  to  be  looked  upon  as  outside  the  old  operatic  conventions. 
According  to  him  it  is  a  "  Dramma  lirico  in  quattro  atti."  "Aida" 
he  called  an  "  Opera  in  quattro  atti."  The  distinction  is  not  unde- 
signed. There  are  many  other  external  indications  that  he  wished 
as  serious  a  view  to  be  taken  of  his  work  as  Wagner ;  that  he 
aimed  in  the  first  instance  at  a  presentation  of  its  dramatic  contents 
and  considered  the  music  as  a  means,  and  not  entirely  as  an  end. 
In  this  he  followed  a  Wagnerian  precept.  His  score  is  filled  with 
instrumental  interludes  designed  to  accompany  actions  or  depict 
emotions.  He  leaves  no  question  in  our  minds  on  this  point,  but 
almost  as  fully  as  Wagner  in  his  "Lohengrin  "  period,  he  indicates 
the  bodily  movements  that  are  to  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  music. 
In  the  storm-picture  which  begins  the  opera,  the  manipulator  of  the 
artificial  lightning  is  not  left  to  his  discretion  as  to  the  proper  time 
for  discharging  his  brutum  fulmen;  in  the  love  duet  at  the  close  of 
the  first  act,  the  appearance  of  the  moon  and  stars  are  sought  to  be 
intensified  by  descriptive  effects  in  the  music,  and  when  in  the  last 
scene  Otello  kisses  the  sleeping  Desdemona,  and  the  one  charac- 
teristic theme  of  the  opera  (drawn  from  the  love  duet)  is  repeated, 
the  composer  indicates  on  what  beat  of  the  bar  he  desires  each 
kiss  to  fall.  These  are  only  a  few  instances  of  Verdi's  appreciation 
of  the  necessity  of  suiting  the  action  to  the  music,  the  music  to  the 
action ;  and  they  sink  into  insignificance  when  compared  with  his 
treatment  of  the  murder  in  the  last  act.  Then  Otello's  entrance  and 
actions  up  to  the  waking  of  Desdemona  are  accompanied  by  a  solo 
on  the  double-basses,  interrupted  at  intervals  by  energetic  staccato 
passages  from  the  other  strings.  It  is  not  difficult  to  recall  a  num- 
ber of  melodramas  written  since  Beethoven's  "Fidelio,"  in  which 
similar  dramatic  effects  are  sought,  but  the  audacity  of  Verdi's 

(144) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [April. 

procedure  is  unexampled  in  Italian  opera ;  I  do  not  doubt  that  had 
he  written  this  scene  twenty  years  ago  it  would  have  been  received 
by  his  countrymen  with  amazement,  if  not  with  hisses.  Yet,  last 
February,  we  are  told,  the  Milan  audience  redemanded  it  uproari- 
ously, and  the  critics  with  Italian  proclivities  could  not  sufficiently 
express  their  admiration  for  it.  What  is  the  meaning  of  such  a 
change  in  conviction  and  taste  ?  Is  it  the  fruit  of  legitimate 
development  on  Italian  lines  ? 

It  is  entirely  an  immaterial  question  whether  or  not  Verdi  owes 
the  progress  toward  dramatic  expression  which  ' '  Aida "  and 
"Otello"  show  to  the  influence  of  Wagner.  The  music  of  these 
two  operas  and  the  circumstances  surrounding  their  production 
show  that  at  an  age  when  most  composers  rest  on  their  laurels 
Verdi  began  to  study  French  and  German  masters.  The  fact 
shows  a  seriousness  of  purpose,  a  conviction  of  duty  toward  art, 
that  has  few  parallels.  A  few  years  ago  the  story  was  spread  that 
he  was  so  ignorant  of  their  music  that  he  had  not  even  seen  the 
score  of  Mozart's  masterpiece.  To  offset  this  his  friends  related 
that  in  1834  his  teacher  played  and  analyzed  "  Don  Giovanni"  for 
him  so  often  that  Verdi  got  a  surfeit  of  it  which  lasted  for  a  long 
time.  I  know  nothing  about  the  truth  of  the  story,  but  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  if  Verdi  knows  "Don  Giovanni,"  he  has 
never  betrayed  the  fact  in  his  music  from  "Oberto"  to  "Otello." 
If,  on  the  contrary,  he  is  unfamiliar  with  the  works  of  Meyerbeer, 
Wagner,  Gounod,  and  Bizet,  the  evidences  in  "A'ida"  and  "Otello" 
are  strangely  misleading.  It  is  enough  for  my  present  contention, 
however,  that  the  score  of  "  Otello  "  discloses  an  honest,  consistent, 
and,  in  some  respects,  most  successful  effort  to  realize  the  higher 
purposes  which  we  associate  with  the  conception  of  a  real  lyric 
drama.  With  this  conception  nationalism  has  nothing  to  do.  Nor 
is  it  an  argument  against  the  acceptance  of  modern  theories  by 
Verdi  that  he  has  introduced  such  set  numbers  in  his  score  as  the 
so-called  "Willow  Song"  and  the  "  Ave  Maria."  These  are  in  their 
nature  lyrical,  and  would  have  been  treated  in  much  the  same  way 
by  Wagner  or  any  modern  French  or  German  composer.  Witness 
Wanker's  prize  song  in  "  Die  Meistersinger,"  or  the  Sailor's  song  at 
the  beginning  of  "  Tristan  und  Isolde."  Shakespeare's  Desdemona 
sings  "a  song  of  '  willow' " before  her  death,  just  as  poor,  distraught 

(MS) 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Ophelia  sings  her  "  Hey  no  nonny,  nonny  hey  nonny."  Why  should 
not  the  heroines  of  the  operas  of  Verdi  and  Ambroise  Thomas  operas 
do  the  same  ?  And  why  should  not  their  songs  be  of  the  strophe 
kind,  and  either  sound  like,  or  actually  be,  folktunes  ?  M.  Thomas 
went  to  Sweden  for  his  song ;  Verdi  had  genius  enough  to  compose 
a  fair  match  for  it,  a  strain  of  marvelous  tenderness  and  pathos. 

Boito's  libretto  is  perhaps  as  excellent  an  opera  book  as  could  be 
made  out  of  Shakespeare's  tragedy  in  most  particulars.  It  is  not 
his  fault  that  the  characters  have  all  lost  much  of  their  stature  in  the 
process  of  translating  them  into  operatic  personages — that  we  seem 
to  see  them  through  the  wrong  end  of  our  opera  glasses.  This  is 
the  fate  that  commonly  befalls  great  tragic  heroes  when  conscience- 
less librettists  and  composers  transfer  them  from  the  theatre  to  the 
opera  house.  The  liveliest  memory  that  we  have  of  M.  Thomas's 
Hamkt  is  that  he  sings  a  good  drinking  song.  But  Boito  is  respon- 
sible for  having  made  a  spectacular  stage  devil  out  of  lago.  The 
tendency  to  do  things  of  this  kind  was  observable  in  the  book  of 
"La  Gioconda"  which  Boito  wrote  for  Ponchielli.  There,  how- 
ever, he  had  some  justification  in  the  fact  that  he  was  simply  re- 
moulding a  play  of  Victor  Hugo's — the  prince  of  those  dramatists 
and  novelists  who  utilize  the  most  glaring  contrasts  and  most  un- 
natural contradictions  to  give  piquancy  to  their  creations,  and 
delight  in  compelling  sympathy  with  a  moral  monster  by  consorting 
in  the  same  breast  monumental  wickedness  with  the  most  tender 
and  amiable  feelings.  In  two  instances  while  constructing  the  char- 
acter of  lago  Boito  went  outside  of  Shakespeare.  In  the  first  he 
provided  an  opportunity  which  Verdi  utilized  to  the  full  to  show  the 
potency  of  his  system  of  mixed  declamation  and  melody;  in  the 
second  he  achieved  nothing  more  than  an  utterly  despicable  piece 
of  clap-trap  for  a  curtain  tableau.  There  are  few  elements  in  the 
character,  as  drawn  by  Shakespeare,  for  which  music  has  vital  and 
determinate  expression.  Music  cannot  voice  all  of  the  keen,  cruel, 
steel-like  intellectuality  which  is  the  basis  of  what  Dr.  Johnson 
describes  as  "the  cool  malignity  of  lago,  silent  in  his  resentment, 
subtle  in  his  designs  and  studious  at  once  of  his  interest  and  his  ven- 
geance"; it  must  content  itself  with  the  cruder  manifestations  of 
his  nature.  This  conviction  might  have  been  accepted  as  the 
motive  which  prompted  the  composition  of  the  so-called  "  Credo," 

(146) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [April. 

in  which  the  operatic  lago  blatantly  blasphemes  God  and  humanity 
and  pronounces  his  only  belief  to  be  in  fate,  were  it  not  for  the 
second  variation  to  which  I  have  referred.  This  is  in  the  finale  of 
the  third  act.  lago  works  up  Otello1  s  jealous  rage  to  such  a  pitch 
that  the  Moor  swoons,  whereupon,  while  the  air  is  resounding  with 
shouts  of  ' '  Evviva,  Otello !  "  from  the  chorus,  the  Ancient  plants  his 
foot  upon  the  prostrate  form  and  "  standing  erect  and  pointing  with 
horrible  triumph  to  the  motionless  body  of  Othello"  exclaims  "  Ecco 
il  Leone!" — "Behold  the  Lion!"  This  is  Bowery  melodrama, 
not  tragedy.  But  Boito  has  told  the  story  deftly  on  the  whole,  and 
has  co-operated  in  a  spirit  of  rare  sympathy  with  the  composer  in 
the  production  of  something  which  is  much  superior  to  the  ordinary 
opera  of  the  Italian  stage.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  Boito's 
artistic  ideals  are  lofty,  and  that  he  made  a  notable  effort  to  realize 
them  in  the  one  work  for  which  he  wrote  both  words  and  music, 
"Mefistofele."  Most  of  the  absurdities  of  the  old-fashioned  Italian 
opera  will  be  looked  for  in  vain  in  "  Otello."  The  chorus  does  not 
intrude  upon  the  privacy  of  the  hero's  or  anybody  else's  chambers, 
even  though,  in  one  case,  it  became  necessary  to  build  a  transparent 
partition  so  that  they  might  be  seen  and  heard  in  a  garden  while 
the  principal  actors  were  carrying  on  the  thread  of  the  play  in  front. 
Signor  Campanini's  pluck  and  enterprise  favored  New  York  with 
an  earlier  opportunity  than  was  enjoyed  by  any  of  the  capitals  of 
Europe,  Milan,  Munich,  Hamburg,  and  Vienna  excepted,  to  become 
acquainted  with  Verdi's  opera.  Much  has  been  written  about  the 
work,  and  it  has  become  plain  that  the  defenders  of  Italian  opera 
against  the  aggressions  of  the  modern  German  movement  look  upon  it 
as  a  formidable  bulwark.  The  haste  with  which  it  was  prepared,  and 
the  shortcomings  in  all  departments  of  the  representation  counsel 
circumspection  and  generosity  in  judgment.  It  is  a  tribute  to  the 
work  to  say  that  it  cannot  be  studied  adequately  from  the  printed 
book.  Verdi  did  not  wait  fifteen  years  between  "A'ida"  and 
"  Otello  "  for  the  purpose  of  lowering  his  artistic  aim.  He  sought 
to  exalt  it.  One  hearing,  even  if  it  be  but  an  imperfect  one,  is  suffi- 
cient to  convince  a  judicious  listener  of  that.  "  Otello  "  is  the  ripest 
product  of  the  most  gifted  of  living  opera  composers — the  outcome 
of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  careers  that  the  history  of  music  in 
Italy  has  to  show.  Verdi  never  undertook  a  work  in  more  serious 

(147) 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

mood  than  this.  His  desire  to  vitalize  the  poetical  line  by  means  of 
truthful,  expressive  declamation  is  observable  in  nearly  every  meas- 
ure of  the  music.  Almost  every  page  discloses  to  the  musician 
some  fruit  of  study  successfully  pursued  since  "Aida"  was  com- 
posed. In  none  of  his  previous  works,  not  even  in  "  Aida,"  does 
Verdi  show  so  great  a  knowledge  of  orchestration.  Occasionally 
the  old  Adam  triumphs  for  a  moment  over  his  regenerated  nature, 
and  he  shocks  our  ears  with  one  of  those  rapid  chromatic  rushes, 
carrying  a  shrieking  piccolo  part  on  top  and  ending  with  a  vulgar 
cymbal  clash ;  but,  these  few  instances  excepted,  compared  with  the 
acrid  and  noisy  accompaniments  of  "  Luisa  Miller,"  and  even  the 
operas  of  the  period  of  his  culmination,  the  accompaniments  of 
"  Otello"  are  as  works  of  Meissonier  compared  with  the  daubs  of 
a  sign  painter.  In  melodic  invention  I  fail  to  find  in  "Otello"  an 
advance  over  the  half  a  dozen  of  its  predecessors  from  Verdi's  pen, 
and,  indeed,  do  not  think  that  the  score  as  a  whole  has  as  much 
inspiration  as  any  one  act  of  "Aida."  Its  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  reflection  is,  however,  correspondingly  greater.  Naturally ;  it  is 
the  creation  of  a  studious  old  man,  and  reflection  plays  a  greater 
role  in  opera  composition  now  than  it  used  to.  His  point  of  view 
has  changed ;  his  style  has  been  bettered,  his  mechanism  refined ; 
his  inspiration  waits  more  on  his  judgment;  but  in  the  means  which 
he  uses  to  get  hold  of  the  nervous  sensibilities  of  his  hearers  one 
cannot  help  recognizing  the  Verdi  of  whom  Rossini  was  wont  to 
say  in  characterization  of  his  forcefulness  and  energy:  "Ah!  oui, 
Verdi,  oune  mousicienne  qui  a  oune  casque!" — "a  musician  with 
a  helmet." 

Signer  Campanini's  representation  of  "Otello,"  creditable  as  it 
was  to  those  qualities  which  Americans  cannot  be  accused  of 
despising,  could  not  be  accepted  as  a  complete  exposition  of  Verdi's 
purposes.  Few  of  the  people  concerned  seemed  to  have  realized 
fully  the  value  of  the  directions  which  Verdi  gave  as  to  details. 
They  were  hampered,  too,  by  traditions  which  are  as  slovenly  as 
they  are  old.  In  the  chorus  of  the  second  act  neither  the  bagpipes 
nor  the  mandolins  prescribed  by  the  score  were  used,  and  the 
effects  aimed  at  were  not  obtained.  In  the  stage  management  little 
concern  was  manifested  for  the  mechanical  effects  which  have  their 
musical  complements  in  the  score.  The  opera  was  repeated  on 

(148) 


THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888.  [April. 

Wednesday  and  Friday  evenings,  and  Saturday  afternoon  of  the 
week  and  the  week  following. 

GRAND  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m.  English  operetta.  Opening  of 
a  season  of  one  week  devoted  to  representations  of  ' '  Doro- 
thy," by  Mr.  J.  C.  Duff's  Company.  "Dorothy"  was  first 
brought  forward  at  the  Standard  Theatre  by  Mr.  Duff  on 
November  5th. 

Tuesday,  Seventeenth. 

CHICKERING  HALL.  8:30  p.  m.  Third  private  concert,  twenty- 
second  season,  of  the  Mendelssohn  Glee  Club.  "Media  Vita," 
Bruch;  "Forsaken,"  Koschat;  "Rovers,"  op.  22,  Schumann; 
"The  Dream  King  and  his  Love,"  Alex.  Staeger;  "Mazurka," 
Chopin- Viardot,  and  "  Madchenlied,"  Meyer-Hellmund  (Mad- 
ame Lilli  Kalisch-Lehmann) ;  "Harps  of  the  Forest,"  Edwin 
Schultz.  Conductor,  Joseph  Mosenthal. 

Wednesday,  Eighteenth. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Third  concert  of  the  Banks'  Glee 
Club.  Organ  solo, "Le  Nozze  di  Figaro,"  Mozart  (Will  C. 
Macfarlane);  "Gipsy  Life,"  Schumann;  Adagio  and  Rondo, 
Vieuxtemps  (Michael  Banner);  "The  Hunter's  Joy,"  Merca- 
dante;  "II  Bravo,"  Macfarren  (Emile  Coletti);  "  You  Spotted 
Snakes,"  Macfarren,  and  "Found,"  George  Osgood  (Meigs 
Sisters);  "Robin  Adair"  (harmonized  by  Dudley  Buck); 
Scene  from  "  GEdipus,"  Mendelssohn;  "The  Jolly  Old  Crow," 
Decker;  Airs  Russes,  Wieniawski  (Mr.  Banner);  "Jerusalem," 
Parker  (Mr.  Colletti) ;  Waltz  Song,  G.  Federlein  (Meigs 
Sisters) ;  "Hallelujah,"  Handel.  Conductor,  H.  R.  Humphries. 

Saturday,  Twenty-first. 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE.  8  p.  m,  Sixth,  and  last,  concert 
of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  Funeral  March,  Chopin-Thomas 
(played  in  memory  of  Mr.  Joseph  W.  Drexel,  late  president 
of  the  Society);  Symphony  in  F,  No.  6  ("Pastorale"),  Beet- 
hoven; "  Abscheulicher !  "  from  "Fidelio,"  Beethoven  (Frau 


April.}  THE  MUSICAL  SEASON  1887-1888. 

Lilli  Kalisch-Lehmann);  Symphonic  Variations,  op.  27,  Nicode; 
"  Gretchen  am  Spinnrade,"  Schubert  (Frau  Kalisch-Lehmann) ; 
Overture,  ' '  Tannhauser, "  Wagner.  Conductor,  Theodore 
Thomas. 

Sunday,  Twenty-second. 

STEINWAY  HALL.  8  p.  m.  Grand  concert  of  the  German  Lieder- 
kranz.  Overture,  "  Tannhauser ;"  "Rolling  in  Foaming  Bil- 
lows," Haydn  (Emil  Fischer) ;  Ballade  et  Polonaise,  Vieuxtemps 
(Miss  Maud  Powell) ;  "  Media  Vita,"  Bruch;  "  Jagdmorgen," 
Rheinberger;  "  Das  Nordlicht,"  Pohl  (Frau  Lilli  Kalisch-Leh- 
mann); Prize  Song  from  "Die  Meistersinger,"  Wagner  (Paul 
Kalisch);  Introduction  and  Scenes  from  "  Launcelot,"  grand 
opera,  Reinhold  L.  Herman.  Conductor,  Mr.  Herman. 


(150) 


RETROSPECT 


IN  point  of  activity  the  New  York  Musical  Season,  1887-1888, 
did  not  quite  equal  the  two  previous  seasons  whose  records 
I  have  tried  to  preserve.  This  might  best  be  looked  upon  as  a 
matter  of  congratulation.  Even  as  it  was,  New  York  had  too 
much  music — too  much  for  proper  appreciation,  too  much  for  the 
financial  welfare  of  the  concert-givers,  too  much  for  the  grade 
of  excellence  which  ought  to  characterize  high-class  performances 
in  the  American  metropolis.  Only  a  few  enterprises  were  profit- 
able to  the  undertakers,  and  the  most  striking  success  from  a  money 
point  of  view  was  less  flattering  to  the  taste  and  judgment  of  the 
public  than  to  the  curiosity  and  affectionate  instincts  of  our  people, 
more  particularly  of  our  women.  I  allude  to  the  concerts  of 
Josef  Hofmann,  the  prodigy,  given  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Henry  E.  Abbey.  The  record  embraces  seventy-two  concerts 
of  magnitude  given  by  organizations  devoted  to  that  end;  sixty-five 
representations  of  grand  opera  in  German  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House;  two  brief  seasons  of  opera  in  English  and  Italian 
at  the  Academy  of  Music;  besides  the  usual  multitude  of  miscella- 
neous musical  entertainments.  I  shall  pass  the  principal  features 
of  the  season  in  review,  directing  attention  only  to  the  more  im- 
portant of  their  developments. 

/.     German  Opera. 

The  fourth  season  of  Grand  Opera  in  German  at  the  Metropol- 
itan Opera  House  began  on  November  2d,  and  ended  on  February 
1 8th.  It  consisted  of  forty-seven  subscription  nights,  sixteen  regular 

(ISO 


RETROSPECT 


Saturday  matinees,  and  an  extra  matinee. 
produced  in  the  following  order  : 


Fourteen  works  were 


COMPOSER. 

OPERA. 

DATE    FIRST 
PRODUCTION. 

TIMES 
GIVEN. 

^^agner  

Tristan  und  Isolde     .... 

November    2 

1 

Wagner  

Die  Meistersinger  

November    4 

I 

Beethoven  . 

Fidelio     

November    5 

4 

\Vagner           . 

Tannhauser     

November    7 

4 

Wagner                . 

Siegfried  

November    9 

II 

Meyerbeer               . 

Der  Prophet   

November  16 

2 

Nessler    

Trompeter  von  Sakkingen    . 

November  23 

7 

Wagner  ...        .    . 

Lohengrin   

November  30 

6 

Halevy    . 

Die  Jiidin     

December     7 

3 

Gounod   

Faust        .    . 

December     9 

4 

Weber     

Euryanthe   

December  23 

4. 

Spontini  ...        .    . 

Ferdinand  Cortez  

January         6 

4 

Wagner  . 

Die  Walkiire  

January       18 

Wagner  ...... 

Die  Gotterdammerung  

January       25 

7 

Reference  to  the  Prospectus  issued  in  the  fall  of  1887  shows 
that  save  as  to  four  operas  the  list  of  works  promised  by  the 
management  was  adhered  to.  The  operas  announced  but  not  per- 
formed are:  Wagner's  "Rienzi,"  Goldmark's  "  Konigin  von  Saba" 
and  "Merlin,"  and  Verdi's  "Aida,"  all  of  which  were  included  in 
the  repertoire  of  the  preceding  season.  The  works  which  had  their 
first  representation  in  America  were:  "  Siegfried,"  "Der  Trom- 
peter von  Sakkingen,"  "  Ferdinand  Cortez,"  and  "  Die  Gotterdam- 
merung," while  Weber's  "Euryanthe"  was  revived  after  it  had 
been  forgotten  for  a  full  quarter  of  a  century.  Practically  it,  too, 
was  a  new  work,  though  I  have  not  included  it  in  the  table  of 
novelties. 

In  the  following  table,  showing  the  total  and  average  receipts 
of  each  of  the  operas,  as  well  as  the  total  and  average  attendance 
on  each  opera,  the  list  is  arranged  according  to  popularity,  as  evi- 
denced in  the  financial  showing : 


RETROSPECT 


OPERA. 

TOTAL 
RECEIPTS. 

AVERAGE 
RECEIPTS. 

TOTAL 
ATTEND- 
ANCE. 

AVERAGE 
ATTEND- 
ANCE. 

Die  Gotterdammerung,  .... 
Siegfried,   

$30,324  oo 

37,124   50 

$4,332  oo 
7,774  9S 

2O,  IOI 

27,827 

2,871 
2.S2Q 

Die  Walkiire,     ...            ... 

11,943  °° 

2,985  75 

9,254 

2,314 

Der  Prophet,     

5,648  75 

2,824  37 

4,659 

2,329 

Tristan  und  Isolde,  

8,399  75 

2,799  92 

6,282 

2,094 

Lohengrin,         

15,847  75 

2,641  29 

13,747 

2,291 

Faust,      .... 

10,  C2O  25 

2,630  06 

9,223 

2,306 

Tannhauser,  ... 

10,267  2S 

2,566  81 

8,477 

2,  1  08 

2,  ^4;    SO 

2,  S43    SO 

1,044. 

1,944 

Euryanthe,     

IO,l62    50 

2.S4.O  62 

8,63  * 

2,  ISO 

Trompeter  von   Sakkingen,  .    . 
Die  Judin,     

17,319  oo 

7  06?   2? 

2,474  14 

2  7SS   71 

14,404 

6  727 

2,057 

2  24.7 

Ferdinand  Cortez     

Q  OQ/1   OO 

2  277    SO 

8,S7S 

2   174. 

Fidelio,  

8  QQ7    OO 

2.24.Q    2S 

8  I7Q 

2  O7S 

Totals,    

3>i8s.2s8  so 

$2.8QA  66 

I4.7.QI2 

2.71  1 

This  statement  of  receipts  does  not  include  the  assessment  upon 
the  stockholders,  who  were  called  on  just  before  the  opening  of  the 
season  for  $2,500  each,  the  sum  thus  realized  being  counted  on  to 
meet  a  deficit  which  was  anticipated  as  the  outcome  of  the  com- 
bined enterprises  represented  by  the  Opera  House  and  the  Opera. 
The  total  receipts  were  $190,087.24  from  box-office  sales  and 
subscriptions,  $170,180  from  the  assessment  of  the  stockholders, 
and  $51,593  from  rentals  of  the  building;  total,  $411,860.24.  The 
total  cost  of  giving  the  sixty-four  representations  of  opera  was 
$283,668.33,  as  against  $299,088.75  for  the  season  of  1886-1887, 
when  sixty-one  representations  were  given.  The  average  cost  per 
representation  in  the  season  1886-1887  was  $4,903.09;  in  1887- 
1888,  $4,432.32,  a  decrease  in  favor  of  the  latter  season  of 
$470.77.  The  total  decrease  in  cost  was  $15,420.42;  the  total 
decrease  in  receipts  $16,950.75.  For  "staging"  new  operas  the 
sum  of  $19,727.27  was  given  out,  of  which  about  more  than  one- 
half  was  expended  on  "Ferdinand  Cortez."  The  decorations  for 


(i53) 


RETROSPECT 

"Siegfried"   had  been  purchased  a  year  before.      The  principal 
items  making  up  the  cost  of  representations  were  these : 

COST   OF   REPRESENTATIONS. 

Salaries  of  principal  singers, $105,132  82 

Orchestra, 42,408  75 

Chorus, • 23,962  75 

Ballet, 16,567  33 

Conductors, 7»5°o  oo 

Stage  Manager, 3,ooo  oo 

Supernumeraries, 3,998  90 

Advertising, ",176  47 

Transportation, 8,317  82 

Stage  Hands, 9,244  51 

Wardrobe, 3,994  96 

Properties, 4,427  42 

Royalties 9,606  52 

Miscellaneous  (Box  Office,  Ushers,  Doormen,  Police,  Prompter, 

Board  Bills,  Clerks,  Gas,  Legal  Expenses,  Libretti,  etc.),  16,423  76 

Of  the  money  paid  for  royalties  nearly  $9,100  went  to  the 
estate  of  Richard  Wagner,  Director  Stanton  having  assumed  the 
purely  moral  obligation  of  paying  royalties  on  all  the  Wagnerian 
works  produced.  The  work  of  preparing  the  operas  for  repre- 
sentation entailed  459  rehearsals,  distributed  among  the  various 
departments  as  follows :  chorus,  191;  ballet,  85;  scenic,  19;  prop- 
erty, 7;  soli  and  ensemble,  189;  arrangement  and  stage,  40; 
orchestra,  24;  orchestra  and  stage,  18;  general  (dress),  12. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  opera  house  during  the  year  was 
about  $146,000,  this  sum  being  distributed  through  the  various 
departments  as  follows:  Taxes  and  interest,  $67,000;  engineers, 
etc.,  $23,000;  lighting,  heating,  insurance,  etc.,  $22,000;  repairs, 
$5,000;  new  properties,  etc.,  $23,000 ;  repairs  to  wardrobe,  $6,000. 

To  discover  the  real  lessons  of  the  season  of  German  Opera, 
whose  outward  results  I  have  now  summarized,  is  as  difficult  as 
it  is  easy  for  impertinent  and  ill-instructed  criticism  to  assume 
to  do  so.  There  was  no  lack  of  the  latter  throughout  the  season, 
and  the  rebuke  which  the  events  of  the  last  three  weeks  of  opera 
administered  to  the  too  forward  enemies  of  seriousness  in  art  and 
the  too  ready  advisers  of  the  Metropolitan  management,  was  as 


RETROSPECT 

emphatic  as  it  was  deserved.  No  institution  is  confronted  with 
a  more  difficult  problem  than  the  German  Opera.  The  fickleness 
of  the  public,  the  popular  craving  for  "sensation,"  the  egotism 
and  rapacity  of  singers,  the  want  of  sincerity  and  loftiness  of  pur- 
pose in  the  stockholders,  the  inexperience  of  the  management,  the 
instability  of  an  institution  which  was  created  to  satisfy  social 
ambition  rather  than  to  promote  art — all  these  factors  and  scores 
of  others  tend  to  hinder  the  establishment  of  such  a  temple  of  art 
as  there  ought  to  be  in  New  York  City.  We  are  in  an  era  of 
change  in  art  ideals.  To  cling  to  the  sweets  of  Italian  melody 
and  live  in  the  memories  of  Mario  and  Grisi  is  folly.  So  young 
an  art  as  music  cannot  stand  still  for  half  a  century,  and  Roman 
tastes,  though  they  may  clog  for  a  time,  cannot  permanently  bind 
a  people  Teutonic  in  their  origin.  The  heritage  of  energy  which 
came  to  us  from  the  Puritans  and  the  equipment  of  vigor  which 
the  newer  element  of  our  population  instinctively  puts  on  in  the 
face  of  the  vast  mission  which  here  opens  to  it,  invite  a  style  of  art 
which  shall  be  more  than  the  "lascivious  pleasing  of  a  lute."  The 
reddest  of  dramatic  blood  flows  through  our  national  veins,  and 
though  we  may  be  beguiled  for  a  time  by  bloodless  literature  and 
false  conventions  on  the  stage,  it  cannot  be  for  long. 

In  my  "  Review  of  the  New  York  Musical  Season,  1885-1886," 
I  set  out  in  full  the  story  of  the  establishment  of  German  opera  at 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  House.  To  that  story  the  season  of  1887- 
1888  added  an  interesting  and  suggestive  chapter.  Early  in  Janu- 
ary the  directors  formally  agreed  to  continue  the  German  repre- 
sentations. Soon  thereafter  it  became  apparent  that  the  receipts 
for  the  season  would  be  considerably  less  than  had  been  hoped  for 
and  expected  and  immediately  a  clamor  rose  against  the  manage- 
ment. The  lovers  of  Italian  opera  joyfully  proclaimed  that  the 
death-knell  of  German  opera  had  been  rung;  the  opponents  of 
Wagner's  style  of  lyric-dramatic  art  attributed  the  falling  off  in 
popular  support  to  the  prominence  given  to  Wagner's  works  in  the 
repertory.  The  most  striking  truth  that  was  brought  forward  by 
the  discussion  was  that  the  protesting  stockholders  (who  in  the  end 
proved  to  be  very  few  in  number)  and  the  disaffected  newspaper 
writers  were  one  in  their  ignorance  of  the  practical  part  of  opera- 
giving.  There  could  be  no  more  striking  demonstration  of  the 

(^55) 


RETROSPECT 

energy,  ambition,  and  lofty  zeal  of  the  management,  the  musical 
director  and  the  artists  than  the  production  within  less  than  three 
months  of  five  such  novelties  as  "Siegfried,"  "Der  Trompeter  von 
Sakkingen,"  "Euryanthe,"  "Ferdinand  Cortez"  and  "Die  Gotter- 
dammerung " ;  and  those  who  clamored  for  a  better  list,  a  longer 
list  or  a  more  varied  list  of  operas  thereby  only  testified  their  want 
of  appreciation  of  the  sacrifices  that  were  made  in  their  behalf. 
To  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  workings  of  the  lyric  theatre 
the  achievements  of  the  institution  were  simply  phenomenal.  I 
believe  there  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  the  stage  like  it,  and  the 
only  feeling  outside  of  admiration  and  gratitude  justified  by  the 
facts  is  a  regret  that  to  meet  the  supposed  demands  of  the  public 
it  was  necessary  to  tax  the  powers  of  all  concerned  to  the  limit 
of  endurance,  and  notwithstanding  to  hurry  the  operas  to  perform- 
ance without  adequate  preparation. 

The  disaffection,  however,  threatened  mischief  to  the  enterprise 
and  had  to  be  met.  The  directors  met  it  by  getting  an  expression 
of  opinion  as  to  the  future  conduct  of  the  institution  from  the 
stockholders.  On  January  21,  they  issued  the  following  address 
to  the  stockholders : 

METROPOLITAN  OPERA  HOUSE, 

7TH  AVENUE  AND  39™  STREET, 

NEW  YORK,  January  21, 1888. 

My  Dear  Sir — At  a  meeting  of  the  Directors  of  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House  Company,  of  New  York,  Limited,  held  Friday  evening 
January  2oth,  1888,  it  was  resolved  that  the  following  circular  be  sent  to 
each  of  the  Stockholders,  with  the  request  for  an  answer  by  Wednesday, 
January  25th. 

The  Directors  made  very  careful  estimates  for  the  Opera  season  of 
1887-88,  and  found  that  the  Opera  could  probably  be  given  for  the 
assessments,  provided  the  receipts  from  the  public  amounted  to  $3,000 
per  performance.  The  subscription  was  50  per  cent,  larger  than  last  year 
(about  $80,000 against  $52,000),  and  they  anticipated  larger  receipts  than 
for  1886-87,  when  the  average  was  about  $3,300.  The  standard  of  high 
excellence  has  been  maintained,  but  the  public  interest  in  German 
Opera  seems  to  have  so  greatly  fallen  off,  that  the  receipts  so  far  average 
only  about  $2,500.  This,  if  continued,  will  show  a  deficiency  of  about 
$30,000  by  the  close  of  the  season.  Against  this  the  Directors  have 
increase  in  rentals  of  about  $14,000. 

(156) 


RETROSPECT 

Should  no  Opera  be  given  next  season,  the  Directors  may  hope  to 
receive  for  rents  about  $60,000.  Against  this  the  expenses  of  interest, 
taxes,  rent  of  ball  rooms,  repairs,  maintenance,  etc.,  and  engagements 
already  made  with  some  artists,  will  be  about  $125,000,  which  would 
require  an  assessment  of  about  $  1,000  per  box. 

Will  you  kindly  answer  which  of  the  following  propositions  you 
favor : 

I. — To  go  on  with  German  Opera  with  an  assessment  of  $3,200  per 
box. 

2. — To  give  no  Opera  next  year,  with  an  assessment  of  $1,000  per 
box,  and  to  resume,  if  possible,  the  following  season. 

The  Directors  have  not  suggested  giving  Italian  Opera  because  they 
are  convinced  that  to  do  so  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  will  require  a  much 
larger  assessment  upon  the    stockholders,  than  to  give  German  Opera. 
Very  truly  yours, 

JAMES  A.  ROOSEVELT, 

President. 

The  issue  was  left  with  the  stockholders,  and  those  who  were 
disaffected  with  the  management  or  with  a  German  opera  were 
called  on  to  show  their  strength.  A  meeting  was  held  on  the 
evening  of  January  27th,  which  resulted  in  a  decision  to  continue 
German  opera,  under  the  first  proposition  of  the  circular  letter, 
by  a  vote  of  over  four  to  one.  While  the  opponents  of  the  modern 
movement  were  loudest  in  their  assertions  that  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  had  been  killed  by  Wagnerism,  and  a  small  clique  of  stock- 
holders were  striving  hardest  to  overthrow  German  opera,  even  at 
the  risk  of  depreciating  their  own  property,  came  the  announce- 
ment of  two  weeks  of  consecutive  representations  of  the  three 
dramas  of  "  The  Ring  of  the  Niblung,"  which  were  in  the  repertory 
of  the  company.  Those  two  weeks,  and  a  third  in  which  ' '  Die 
Gotterdammerung  "  was  given  three  times,  brought  more  money 
into  the  exchequer  of  the  Opera  House  than  any  preceding  five 
weeks  of  the  season. 

To  the  observer  who  kept  the  good  of  art  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  public  in  culture  and  refinement  in  view  there  was 
so  much  that  was  gratifying  and  encouraging  in  the  circumstances 
last  mentioned  that  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  in  a  retrospective 
glance  at  the  season  to  treat  as  of  little  moment  the  things  which 
a  few  weeks  before  seemed  to  be  foreshadowing  the  downfall  of 


RETROSPECT 

one  of  the  finest  operatic  institutions  in  the  world.  Such  a  view 
would  be  almost  justifiable,  too,  for  the  conduct  of  the  public  after 
the  question  of  the  continuance  of  the  establishment  on  its  present 
lines  was  put  at  issue  likened  nothing  so  much  as  a  popular  uprising 
for  the  protection  of  German  opera.  It  would  be  exceedingly 
pardonable  after  the  scenes  discovered  in  the  Opera  House  at  the 
last  two  representations,  scenes  for  which  I  can  find  no  parallels  in 
my  recollections  of  the  lyric  drama  either  here  or  elsewhere,  if  the 
enthusiast  should  say  that  the  open  and  covert  enemies  of  German 
ideals  in  dramatic  music  as  well  as  its  timid  and  weak-kneed  ad- 
vocates had  been  utterly  overwhelmed  by  the  waves  of  popular 
approval  which  surged  around  the  opera  during  its  last  days. 
But  there  are  questions  involved  in  the  operatic  problem  which 
cannot  be  settled  by  such  demonstrations.  The  statistics  which 
I  have  printed  ought  to  be  carefully  studied  by  all  who  desire 
to  comment  in  any  way  on  the  past,  present,  and  future  of  opera 
in  New  York.  One  plain  teaching  of  the  statistics  is  that  the 
premises  upon  which  the  opponents  of  German  opera  based  their 
attacks  were  false.  What  they  set  down  as  the  bane  of  the  season 
was  in  reality  its  salvation,  so  far  as  salvation  was  possible.  I  am 
by  no  means  disposed  to  urge  or  even  to  defend  a  preponderating 
infusion  of  Wagner's  creations  in  any  local  operatic  list,  but  in  the 
face  of  the  innumerable  assertions  that  the  giving  over  of  one-half 
the  repertory  to  Wagner  was  the  cause  of  the  falling  off  in  receipts, 
the  fact  must  be  cited  that  the  Wagnerian  dramas  throughout  the 
season  were  worth  $750  a  night  more  than  the  rest  of  the  list,  and 
this  notwithstanding  that  there  were  but  two  Wagnerian  novelties 
and  three  of  the  others.  The  advantage  of  the  non-Wagnerian 
list  over  the  Wagnerian,  derived  from  the  desire  to  see  new 
works,  which  had  been  much  harped  on,  was  therefore  as  three  to 
two.  I  cite  this  fact  simply  because  it  must  be  cited  to  meet  the 
flood  of  foolish  and  false  criticism  which  the  management  was  com- 
pelled to  struggle  against.  There  are  aspects  in  which  its  contem- 
plation is  not  entirely  gratifying.  It  will  not  conduce  to  permanency 
in  art  taste  to  permit  Wagnerism  to  become  a  craze.  What  ought 
to  be  cultivated  is  the  dramatic  truthfulness  which  is  its  life  blood, 
and  appreciation  of  the  serious  purpose  of  art  which  was  the  inspi- 
ration and  guiding  star  of  the  poet-composer. 


RETROSPECT 

But  if  the  statistics  show  that  Wagner's  works  were  the  strongest 
props  that  the  opera  had  during  the  season,  they  also  showed  that 
our  public  is  yet  afflicted  with  an  instability  of  taste  such  as  makes 
the  establishment  of  an  operatic  institution  on  a  true  and  lofty 
basis  exceedingly  difficult.  No  single  fact  connected  with  the  sea. 
son  1886-1887  was  more  gladdening  than  the  interest  aroused  by 
Beethoven's  "Fidelio."  It  was  not  a  novelty,  but  had  been  given 
here  at  long  intervals  for  over  half  a  century.  In  the  first  season 
it  had  proved  so  discouraging  a  failure  that  it  was  only  upon  the 
urgent  solicitation  of  Herr  Seidl  and  the  singers  that  Mr.  Stanton 
consented  to  experiment  with  it  again.  He  announced  it  for  two 
representations  only,  but  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  public  had 
to  give  an  extra  performance.  The  opera  which  had  played  to 
an  audience  of  $300  or  $500  in  the  season  1884-1885,  brought 
$12,231  into  the  treasury  with  three  representations  in  the  season 
of  1886-1887.  It  l£d  the  nst-  This  season  it  was  the  last  in  the 
list,  though  performed  by  the  same  artists.  So  ' '  Tristan  und 
Isolde,"  which  was  given  eight  times  in  the  season  1886-1887, 
and  brought  in  an  average  of  $4,029.31  a  performance,  was  this 
season  number  five  in  the  list  with  $2,799.92  as  the  average 
for  three  representations.  The  Wagner  operas  maintained  their 
hold  on  popular  liking  best,  but  allowing  for  the  natural  curi- 
osity touching  the  dramas  of  the  Niblung  tetralogy  (the  best  adver- 
tised art-work  that  the  world  ever  saw),  it  is  nevertheless  an 
indication  of  a  want  of  deep  sincerity  and  fervent  love  that  ' '  Fi- 
delio" should  drop  from  first  place  to  fourteenth,  and  that  "Tris- 
tan," the  greatest  achievement  of  Wagner's  genius,  should  be 
obliged  to  yield  precedence  to  "Die  Walkiire,"  "Siegfried,"  "Die 
Gotterdammerung "  and — Meyerbeer's  "Prophet."  So  long  as 
such  violent  changes  are  possible  while  the  representations  remain 
on  an  even  plane  of  excellence,  so  long  the  management  of  the 
German  opera  will  be  forced  to  depend  for  financial  success  upon 
one  form  or  another  of  sensationalism;  and  just  so  long  the  solu- 
tion of  the  operatic  problem  will  be  postponed.  Thus  far  Wag- 
ner has  supplied  the  fuel  to  keep  the  fires  burning,  but  the 
Wagner  store-room  is  almost  empty.  "Rheingold"  and  "Parsi- 
fal" alone  remain. 

(159) 


RETROSPECT 

After  these,  what?  There  ought  to  be  no  difficulty  in  creating 
and  maintaining  a  repertory,  and  there  will  be  none  so  soon  as 
all  the  activities  associated  with  opera-giving  are  brought  to  a 
normal  basis.  A  large  portion  of  the  operatic  literature  is  as 
yet  unexplored  ground.  We  have  ignored  Gluck,  Mozart,  and 
Marschner;  and  Weber  is  almost  forgotten.  Many  masterpieces 
remain  to  be  given,  which  are  none  the  less  valuable  because  they 
cannot  be  made  to  cater  to  sensationalism.  There  are  French 
and  Italian  works,  too,  which  deserve  a  place  in  the  Metropolitan 
repertory,  and  which  will  get  a  place  there  if  a  rational  method 
can  be  devised  or  evolved  for  the  maintenance  of  the  institution, 
which  in  one  sense  means  a  method  resting  on  another  basis 
than  nightly  receipts  of  $4,000.  So  long  as  such  an  income  is 
an  essential  condition  the  future  of  opera  is  not  assured.  As 
matters  go  at  present  the  continuance  of  the  opera  rests  upon 
the  public  spirit  of  the  stockholders,  who  do  for  New  York  what 
the  Government  exchequers  do  for  the  operatic  institutions  of 
continental  Europe.  Most  of  the  efforts  of  the  stockholders  to 
please  themselves  in  the  choice  of  works  have  thus  far  proved 
disastrous;  but  this  is  due  wholly  to  the  fact  that  they  have 
offered  so  much  that  was  new,  beautiful  and  bewildering  in  the 
great  lyric  dramas  of  Wagner  that  the  works  which  depended 
for  success  upon  their  spectacular  attractiveness  had  no  charms 
as  against  works  which  were  equally  attractive  as  dramas,  musical 
compositions  and  spectacles.  When  curiosity  has  been  satisfied 
and  popular  taste  steadied,  then  the  natural  desire  for  occasional 
change  will  be  satisfied  with  such  operas  as  "Cortez,"  and  an 
occasional  ballet  of  fine  dimensions. 

Yet,  having  thus  expressed  my  strong  conviction  of  the  neces- 
sity of  liberality  in  the  repertory  of  the  German  Opera,  I  must  be 
permitted  to  add  that  the  impulsive  generosity  with  which  the 
public  paid  the  tribute  of  their  admiration  to  the  three  dramas  of 
"The  Ring  of  the  Niblung,"  when  they  were  given  twice  in  suc- 
cession during  the  last  two  weeks  of  the  season  was  a  convincing 
proof  of  the  success  which  crowned  Wagner's  effort  to  blend  poetry, 
music,  pantomime,  and  painting  into  a  common  art  of  the  highest 
potency  of  expression.  It  suggested  the  thought,  too,  that  there  is 
something  peculiarly  sympathetic  to  Americans  in  the  character  of 

(160) 


RETROSPECT 

the  chief  personages  of  the  drama.  In  their  rude  forcefulness  and 
freedom  from  restrictive  conventions  they  might  be  said  to  be 
representative  of  the  American  people.  They  are  so  full  of  that 
vital  energy  which  made  us  a  nation.  This  is  not  altogether  a  fan- 
ciful idea,  nor  is  the  share  which  the  American  people  (in  common 
with  the  other  races  of  Teutonic  origin)  have  in  the  poetical  herit- 
age that  Wagner  has  striven  to  preserve  in  his  dramas  altogether 
fictitious.  I  would  not  assert  that  the  tales  of  Northern  mythology 
have  any  peculiar  force  for  us  in  themselves,  but  only  that  their 
presentation  in  an  idealized  form  which  lifts  into  prominence  the 
ethical  and  other  elements  that  are  characteristic  of  the  stock  from 
which  we  are  sprung  is  naturally  near  to  our  sympathies.  We  have 
not  preserved  Siegfried  in  the  character  of  a  popular  hero,  as  the 
peoples  who  occupy  our  ancestral  homes  have  done,  but  we  have 
put  his  manliness  and  strength,  and  even  his  frank  lawlessness  into 
many  of  the  heroes  of  our  fairy  tales,  while  in  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
Gyneth,  who  was  put  into  a  magic  sleep  by  Merlin,  in  Tennyson's 
Enchanted  Princess  and  in  the  story  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty,  which 
we  eagerly  made  a  part  of  our  literature,  we  have  retained  mem- 
ories of  Briinnhilde's  sleep  and  awakening.  Siegfried  is  a  prototype, 
too,  of  the  American  people  in  being  an  unspoiled  nature.  He 
looks  at  the  world  through  glowing  eyes  that  have  not  grown  ac- 
customed to  the  false  and  meretricious.  The  process  of  nation- 
making  in  which  we  have  been  engrossed  has  left  us  in  a  position 
to  look  at  Wagner's  art-world  in  Siegfried's  manner.  We  have 
heard  and  seen  much,  but  at  heart  we  are  yet  unspoiled  in  art. 
We  are  not  ridden  by  conventions  of  any  kind.  We  can  yet 
bring  our  emotions  with  us  into  the  theatre,  and  are  therefore 
open  to  an  appeal  that  the  delightful  pilgrimage  be  made  with 
serious  intent.  Wagner  dreamed  of  a  regenerated  society  whose 
attitude  toward  art  should  be  like  that  which  once  prevailed  in 
Greece.  I  love  to  think  that  it  is  not  altogether  impossible  that 
when  the  conquest  of  the  continent  is  completed,  and  the  social 
amalgam  of  the  American  people  has  become  fixed,  something 
like  the  Hellenic  ideal  may  here  be  realized,  and  that  the  lyric 
drama,  now  regarded  as  mere  diversion,  may  be  lifted  to  the 
position  which  it  ought  to  occupy  as  a  factor  of  tremendous 
potency  in  the  education  of  the  mind  and  refinement  of  the  soul. 

(161) 


RETROSPECT 
//.     Italian  and  English   Opera. 

The  attitude  of  the  public  of  New  York  toward  the  operatic 
problem  had  two  other  exemplifications  of  a  striking  character. 
After  the  close  of  the  German  season  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House  brief  seasons  of  opera  in  English  and  Italian  were  given  in 
the  Academy  of  Music.  Both  were  disastrous  failures.  The  loss 
of  the  National  Opera  Company,  notwithstanding  that  the  perform- 
ances were  given  on  the  cooperative  plan  and  the  principals  drew 
no  salaries,  was  $4,000  in  one  week.  The  loss  of  Signer  Campa- 
nini  I  cannot  estimate,  but  it  must  have  been  very  large,  for  he  had 
gone  to  a  great  outlay  in  the  importation  of  scenery  and  properties, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  exorbitant  demand  of  Signor  Ricordi  for  the 
right  to  produce  ' '  Otello. "  The  enterprise  was  recognized  as  an 
unwise  one  from  the  start  by  practically  all  persons  of  discretion 
and  experience,  but  Signor  Campanini  counted  perhaps  quite  as 
much  on  the  popularity  which  he  once  enjoyed  as  a  singer  in  New 
York  as  he  did  on  public  curiosity  touching  Verdi's  last  opera. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  advice  of  well-meaning  friends  was 
thrown  away,  and  we  were  called  upon  to  witness  the  singular 
spectacle  of  an  admired  composer's  most  ambitious  effort  being 
received  with  apathy  and  indifference  in  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
appreciative  cities  of  the  world.  Naturally  the  extremists  among 
the  champions  of  Wagner  looked  upon  the  occurrence  as  a  final  and 
convincing  triumph  of  their  cause,  ignoring  the  fact  that  other 
agents  than  a  change  of  taste  operated  to  produce  the  catastrophe. 
If  it  was  unwise  to  attempt  to  give  a  series  of  operatic  representa- 
tions after  the  amusement  season  had  practically  come  to  an  end, 
it  was  simply  foolish  to  do  so  with  an  ill-equipped  company,  in 
a  house  that  had  lost  its  prestige  (and  with  it  fashionable  support) 
and  at  prices  considerably  larger  than  those  demanded  during  the 
season  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House.  After  what  I  have  said 
in  discussing  the  German  season  I  do  not  apprehend  that  I  can 
righteously  be  accused  of  extravagant  sympathy  with  old-fashioned 
Italian  opera;  but  I  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  the  fact  that  the  illiber- 
ality  which  has  marked  the  discussion  of  the  operatic  problem  has 
had  much  to  do  with  postponing  its  solution.  On  one  side  the 
writers  dispose  of  Italian  opera  as  summarily  as  Alexander  disposed 

(162) 


RETROSPECT 

of  the  Gordian  knot.  They  believe  that  the  popular  taste  has 
advanced  beyond  the  stage  when  Italian  opera,  with  its  obvious 
absurdities  and  its  mere  lascivious  pleasings,  can  longer  give  satis- 
faction. In  their  opinion  Italian  opera  is  dead  and  past  all  resur- 
rection. Another  class  thinks  that  as  an  art-form  Italian  opera 
is  as  potent  as  ever,  and  charges  its  present  inanimation  to  the 
want  of  new  works  and  good  singers.  As  in  most  controversies 
the  truth  lies  betwixt  these  two  propositions.  There  is  no  question 
that  the  progress  of  music  has  carried  the  people  of  Germany, 
Austria,  France,  Russia,  England,  and  the  United  States  a  little 
beyond  the  naive  enjoyment  which  they  got  for  so  many  gener- 
ations from  Italian  melody;  if  this  were  not  so  we  would  not 
find  them  listening  with  pleasure  to  the  Richter,  Lamoureux,  and 
Thomas  concerts,  the  Wagner  festivals  and  the  German  opera 
representations.  But  the  advance  has  not  gone  so  far  as  to  make 
Italian  opera  seem  an  utter  absurdity  either  in  Berlin,  Vienna, 
Paris,  St.  Petersburg,  London,  or  New  York  where  the  same  prob- 
lem confronts  the  musical  philosophers.  The  second  theory  is 
a  little  more  tenable  than  the  first,  but  it  lacks  completeness  from 
the  fact  that  it  does  not  take  into  consideration  that  the  spirit  of 
the  times  exacts  something  besides  beautiful  singing  in  an  operatic 
representation.  We  all  know  that  when  Italian  opera  was  in  its 
glory  the  public  were  perfectly  willing  to  accept  a  listless  perform- 
ance from  any  one  of  its  great  interpreters  if  he  or  she  would 
but  thrill  them  with  a  single  air  or  a  single  note  in  an  air.  Mario 
was  wont  to  save  himself  for  one  glorious  outburst,  and  with  it 
his  admirers  were  satisfied.  This  would  now  be  impossible.  One 
air  doesn't  make  an  opera  any  more  than  one  swallow  makes  a 
summer.  The  people  demand  spectacle  and  action.  The  modern 
drama,  especially  that  of  the  French  school,  in  which  Hugo  was 
the  exemplar,  has  fostered  a  craving  for  violent  emotions,  crass 
contrasts,  picturesque  situations,  and  these  must  alternate  with 
each  other  in  the  development  of  the  piece.  The  everlasting 
placidity  of  the  Rossinian  sing-song  offers  nothing  to  the  appetite 
for  highly-spiced  things,  which  is  almost  universal  now.  Verdi's 
long  domination  of  the  operatic  stage  was  largely  due  to  the 
successfulness  with  which  he  catered  to  this  appetite.  In  "  Rigo. 
letto,"  "Trovatore"  and  "Aida"  he  is  a  musical  dramatist,  not 


RETROSPECT 

one  of  the  highest  order,  but  a  dramatist,  nevertheless,  such  an 
one  as  uses  the  nerves  of  the  public  for  harp-strings.  Meyerbeer 
was  another,  and  the  dearth  of  good  singers  is  largely  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  masterpieces  of  these  men  make  so  great  a 
requisition  on  mere  vocal  power  that  to  have  many  great  singers  is 
out  of  the  question.  It  is  voice,  voice,  voice  that  is  needed, 
whereas  in  the  olden  time  it  was  art. 

It  was  the  eager  hunt  for  phenomenal  voices  for  the  last  twenty- 
five  years  that  speeded  on  the  decadence  of  beautiful  singing, 
so  that  the  change  in  taste  is  really  responsible  for  what  the  lovers 
of  Italian  opera  charge  to  a  mysterious  interruption  in  the  pro- 
duction of  fine  singers.  The  effect  has  been  twofold :  unfinished 
singers  have  been  precipitated  on  the  stage  and  finished  singers, 
appreciating  their  superiority,  have  steadily  increased  their  de- 
mands, until  to  engage  them  means  either  an  otherwise  cheap  and 
wretched  company  or  ruin  to  the  manager.  This  is  the  case  at 
present  in  Europe  and  America.  A  revulsion  against  Italian  sweets 
may  induce  the  public  to  put  up  with  inferior  singing  for  a  time, 
as  it  unquestionably  has  done  in  Germany;  but  this  will  not  last, 
for  it  is  dawning  on  the  minds  of  the  admirers  of  even  Wagner's 
rugged  and  sometimes  uncouth  vocal  style,  that  good  vocalization 
cannot  be  dispensed  with  in  the  lyric  drama.  So  soon  as  this  is 
generally  recognized  we  can  expect  to  see  the  old  thoroughness  in 
vocal  training  gradually  return.  Then,  in  time,  good  ensembles 
will  be  possible,  and  will  be  had  even  in  Italian  opera,  which  will 
not  utterly  die  until  the  public  adopt  a  nobler  attitude  toward  music 
than  they  occupy  toward  literature  and  the  drama.  So  long  as 
diversion  is  sought  and  nothing  else  we  cannot  expect  Wagner's 
music-dramas,  with  their  lofty  appeals  to  an  art-feeling  like  that 
which  once  inspired  Greece,  to  crowd  Italian  opera  into  its  grave, 
the  less  since  Verdi  and  his  followers  have  begun  to  pay  tribute  to 
the  loftier  dramatic  spirit  inspired  by  Gluck,  Beethoven,  Weber, 
and  Wagner.  "Otello"is  a  revelation  which  no  serious  thinker 
dare  treat  with  indifference.  Admiration  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
third  act  and  all  of  the  fourth  grow  with  every  hearing.  However 
opinions  may  differ  as  to  the  intrinsic  value  of  his  music  Verdi  is 
entitled  to  the  world's  respect.  There  have  been  few  composers 
whose  careers  have  shown  such  steady  and  consistent  growth  from 

(164) 


RETROSPECT 

old-fashioned  conventions  to  lofty  ideals  as  is  exemplified  in  his  act- 
ive art-life.  Rossini  excepted,  there  has  been  no  Italian  composer 
who  has  taken  so  gigantic  a  stride  as  lies  between  "  Oberto,  Conte  di 
Bonifazio"  and  "  Otello."  It  is  known  that  the  composer  kept  the 
score  of  ' '  Otello "  in  his  desk  almost  long  enough  to  fulfill  the 
Horatian  adage,  "  Nonumque  prematur  in  annum,"  in  order  that 
he  might  exercise  self-criticism  and  become  convinced  that  it  would 
not  lessen  his  fame.  It  will  not.  The  interest  of  music  lovers  of  all 
creeds  and  shades  of  artistic  belief  ought  to  go  out  toward  such 
a  work. 

///.      Concerts. 

There  were  many  gratifying  features  in  the  concert  season,  but 
also  some  that  were  grievous.  Mr.  Thomas's  concerts  in  Steinway 
Hall,  to  which  we  owed  the  introduction  of  the  overwhelming 
majority  of  the  new  orchestral  compositions  which  were  brought 
forward,  were  not  successful  financially.  Neither  did  the  American 
Concerts,  which  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken  gave  in  Chickering  Hall,  pay 
expenses.  In  fact,  the  concert  enterprises  which  resulted  profit- 
ably, might  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand.  The  plethora 
of  music  doubtless  had  much  to  do  with  this  unfortunate  state  of 
affairs,  but  some  of  the  blame  is  chargeable  against  the  fickleness  of 
the  public  and  their  ostrich-appetite  for  sensations.  In  this  lies  the 
greatest  obstacle  to  stability  and  the  things  which  stability  makes 
possible.  The  interest  in  the  lad  Josef  Hofmann  early  got  beyond 
the  phase  which  is  defensible  on  art-grounds,  and  degenerated  into 
a  craze  so  silly  and  irrational  that  a  sordid  father  and  grasping 
managers  did  not  hesitate  to  encourage  it  with  mountebank  tricks. 
The  story  of  this  prodigy  is  full  of  suggestiveness.  His  musical 
gifts  are  unquestioned,  though  it  has  seemed  of  late  as  if  what  was 
untruthfully  said  of  Mozart  in  his  sixteenth  year  might  truthfully 
be  said  of  him :  ' '  He  is  one  further  instance  of  early  fruit  being 
more  extraordinary  than  excellent."  If  the  art  does  not  profit  from 
nature's  endowment  of  him  in  the  degree  which  his  performances 
had  led  many  judicious  admirers  to  believe,  the  fault  will  be  not  far 
to  seek.  His  father  and  Mr.  Abbey  brought  him  here  protesting 
that  the  exhibition  of  his  talents  was  a  measure  of  necessity,  the 
object  being  to  secure  money  to  pay  for  his  musical  education. 

(165) 


RETROSPECT 

Before  he  left  London,  assurances  were  given  that  every  effort 
would  be  made  to  foster  his  talent,  and  that  after  a  season  of  five 
months,  in  which  he  was  to  give  eighty  concerts,  and  receive 
$25,000  and  expenses,  he  would  be  taken  home  to  his  stud- 
ies. These  assurances  and  protestations  were  doubtless  honestly 
meant,  but  at  the  time  they  were  given  neither  Mr.  Abbey 
nor  his  agents  knew  that  the  boy  would  be  called  on  to 
uphold  all  of  the  manager's  New  York  enterprises  and  would 
disclose  the  ability  to  do  it.  In  continental  Europe  musical  prodi- 
gies are  not  so  rare  as  here,  and  the  attitude  of  critics,  musicians, 
and  public  towards  them  is  that  which  is  best  calculated  to  husband 
and  develop  their  precocious  powers.  In  Germany,  Austria  and 
France  the  boy  was  not  worth  $150  a  concert  to  his  manager.  In 
England  the  love  for  sensation  and  the  impulsive  female  heart 
worked  a  change ;  and  the  warmth  of  the  approval  of  the  Ameri- 
can newspaper  press,  the  downright  merit  of  the  lad,  and  a  flood 
of  gratuitous  advertising  combined  with  the  same  qualities  on  the 
part  of  our  public  which  made  the  English  success  to  transform 
the  precocious  boy  into  one  of  the  biggest  money-makers  in  the 
musical  profession.  To  the  cupidity  aroused  by  this  discovery  the 
lad  was  sacrificed.  Four  or  five  concerts  a  week  were  given,  dis- 
tributed between  New  York,  Boston,  Brooklyn,  Philadelphia  and 
Baltimore,  and,  regardless  of  promises,  new  contracts  were  made 
here  and  in  England,  for  seasons  to  begin  immediately  on  the 
expiration  of  the  first  contract.  In  one  sense  the  treatment  of  the 
boy  was  of  no  concern  to  the  public,  but  a  matter  between  his 
father  and  his  father's  conscience.  When  charlatanry  and  fraud 
entered  into  his  concerts,  however,  a  different  question  was  raised. 
And  these  elements  were  drawn  in  when  the  boy  was  paraded  as 
composer  for  orchestra,  and  conductor.  Finally,  when  the  absurd 
excitement  was  at  its  height,  the  boy's  father  suddenly  withdrew 
him  on  the  plea  that  his  health  had  become  impaired.  This  was 
on  February  ipth,  and  a  month  later  the  elder  Hofmann,  having 
successfully  evaded  Mr.  Abbey's  efforts  to  get  an  indemnity  for 
breach  of  contract,  returned  with  his  family  to  Europe,  leaving 
the  conviction  in  the  minds  of  the  American  people  that  one  of 
several  offers  made  by  wealthy  men  to  pay  for  the  boy's  edu- 
cation, provided  he  ceased  giving  public  performances,  had  secretly 

(166) 


RETROSPECT 

been  accepted.  Thus  fittingly  ended  the  most  sensational  chapter 
in  the  story  of  the  concert  season  of  1887-1888. 

Mr.  Thomas's  Symphony  and  Popular  Concerts  benefited  greatly 
from  that  gentleman's  withdrawal  from  the  National  Opera  Com- 
pany, but  not  in  so  marked  a  degree  as  the  concerts  of  the  Philhar- 
monic Society.  These  concerts  in  the  previous  season  lost  much 
of  their  prestige  with  the  public ;  but  this  season  they  were  brought 
back  to  their  old  dignity  and  excellence  by  the  fact  that  Mr.  Thomas 
and  the  musicians  of  his  band  were  able  to  give  proper  time  and 
care  to  them. 

German  musical  pedagogy  has  of  late  years  devoted  con- 
siderable attention  to  marks  of  expression  and  especially  to 
phrasing.  New  thoughts  have  been  advanced  on  the  subject,  and 
some  of  those  thoughts  Mr.  Thomas  applied  to  his  symphonic 
readings.  The  principles  which  are  supposed  to  underlie  this 
reform  are  set  forth  in  a  book  whose  title  is  scarcely  more  difficult 
of  comprehension  to  one  unfamiliar  with  German  and  Greek  than 
its  contents  to  a  German  scholar.  Here  it  is  in  all  its  ponderosity : 
' '  Musikalische  Dynamik  und  Agogik.  Lehrbuch  der  Musika- 
lischen  Phrasirung  auf  Grund  einer  Revision  der  Lehre  von  der 
Musikalischen  Metrik  und  Rhythmik,  von  Dr.  Hugo  Riemann." 
The  features  of  Mr.  Thomas's  readings,  which  attracted  critical  at- 
tention, were  the  results  of  changes  in  the  phrasing  of  the  standard 
symphonies.  Some  of  them  proved  thoroughly  admirable,  but 
there  were  others  which  I  found  it  impossible  either  to  commend  or 
to  explain.  Nothing  that  Mr.  Thomas  did,  however,  was  quite  so 
revolutionary  as  Herr  Seidl's  perverted  reading  of  Beethoven's 
eighth  symphony,  which  I  have  discussed  at  the  proper  place. 

IV.     Novelties. 

The  list  of  novelties  brought  forward  in  concert-room  and  opera 
house  was  larger  even  than  that  of  the  phenomenally  active  season 
of  1885-1886.  In  the  following  tables  I  have  included  only  such 
works  of  reasonable  magnitude  as  were  given  in  accordance  with 
the  composer's  prescriptions;  that  is  to  say,  I  have  omitted  all 
choral  works  which  were  not  given  with  orchestral  accompaniment : 

(167) 


RETROSPECT 


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CJ 

Cowen,  F.  H.  .  . 
DeKoven,  Reginal 

Gernsheim,  F.  .  , 
Herman,  Reinhold 

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Mohr,  Hermann  . 

Nessler,  Victor  .  . 

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Verdi,  Giuseppe  . 
Wagner,  Richard 

Wagner,  Richard 
Weinzierl,  Max  vo 

(168) 


RETROSPECT 


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I  I  f  1  1 


(169) 


RETROSPECT 


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COMPOSER. 

Lalo,  Edouard  . 
Lalo,  Edouard  . 

Massenet,  Jules 
McDowell,  E.  A. 

Praeger,  Ferdinan 
Raff,  Joachim  . 

Rauchenecker,  G. 
Reinecke,  Karl 

Rheinberger,  Jose 
Rietzel,  J.  C.  . 

Rubinstein,  Antoi 
Scharwenka,  Phili 

Scharwenka,  Phili 
Shelley,  Harry  R' 

Smetana,  Friedric 

•Stanford,  C.  Vill: 
Strauss,  Richard 

Strong,  G.  Tempi 
Tschalkowsky,  P. 

Urspruch,  Anton 
Wagner,  Richard 

o  -o 

•"  co 


.2 


(170) 


RETROSPECT 
V.     American  Composition. 

A  series  of  American  concerts,  given  early  in  the  season  by 
Mr.  Van  der  Stucken,  flattered  national  pride  by  discovering  that 
we  have  several  composers  of  native  birth  who  have  contributed 
works  of  real  dignity  and  beauty  to  the  repertory  of  the  music- 
room,  concert-hall,  and  church.  Elsewhere  I  have  permitted  Mr. 
Van  der  Stucken  to  set  forth  his  purposes  in  giving  these  con- 
certs, and  in  the  proper  place  I  have  discussed  the  merit  of  a  few 
of  the  compositions  brought  forward.  I  have  the  disposition,  but 
not  the  time  nor  the  space,  to  continue  the  discussion.  There 
was  no  want  of  encouragement  to  American  composers,  of  native 
or  European  birth,  in  the  season.  In  fact,  there  were  times  when 
it  seemed  as  if  the  promoters  of  the  '  'American  movement "  would 
be  obliged  to  "whistle  down  brakes"  for  the  good  of  the  cause. 
The  results  disclosed  by  the  season's  activity  in  this  department 
were  full  of  promise  for  the  future.  Paraphrasing  Grillparzer's  epi- 
taph on  Schubert,  it  might  be  said  of  the  season  that  in  respect  of 
American  music  it  brought  forth  ' '  a  rare  treasure,  but  yet  more 
brilliant  hopes."  To  some  arguments  that  have  been  urged  against 
the  possibility  of  an  American  school  of  music,  I  would  like  to 
add  a  few  considerations. 

Is  America  too  young  to  produce  such  a  school  ?  I  have  heard 
this  asserted  by  critics  who  are  so  utterly  at  sea  in  their  history  that 
they  persistently  speak  of  this  country  as  being  only  a  century  old. 
Now  it  is  only  the  political  history  of  the  United  States  that  is  com- 
passed by  a  century.  America  is  older  than  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  the  development  of  a  national  character,  which 
it  is  correctly  assumed  must  be  a  condition  precedent  for  a  national 
art,  has  been  going  on  a  very  long  time  indeed.  If  there  had  not 
been  such  a  development,  and  one  of  tremendous  magnitude,  too, 
there  never  would  have  been  any  American  history  in  the  sense 
that  some  narrow-minded  writers  conceive  it.  These  writers  should 
devote  some  of  their  energy  to  reading  up  pre-revolutionary  his- 
tory. They  should  study  the  different  mental,  moral,  and  physical 
types  which  this  country  has  produced  before  they  deny  to  the 
American  people,  as  they  exist  now,  the  capacity  to  originate  a 
characteristic  school  in  art.  I  am  not  saying  that  such  a  school 


RETROSPECT 

exists,  let  this  be  understood,  but  only  contending  that  it  may  exist, 
and  that  before,  as  a  political  people,  we  have  passed  through  as 
many  centuries  of  local  history  as  the  Germans,  Italians,  or  French. 
The  history  of  the  Old  World's  nations  is  a  part  of  our  history, 
and  the  differences  in  the  schools  of  art  in  Europe  are  not  so  much 
aboriginal  as  they  are  the  products  of  environment.  The  Franks 
who  became  Frenchmen  were  once  closely  related  to  the  Franks 
who  became  Germans,  or  rather  remained  Germans,  because  they 
rebelled  against  Roman  influences,  and  withdrew  into  their  original 
forest  homes.  The  English  Puritan  and  the  French  Huguenot  of 
the  early  colonial  days  became  the  patriotic  Americans  of  the 
Revolution;  and  if  they  were  not  strongly  marked  types  I  can 
find  none  such  in  the  history  of  civilizations.  Have  not  the  west- 
ern prairies  developed  types?  Is  not  the  temptation  strong  to  say 
that  the  most  thoroughly  American  man  in  our  broad  country 
to-day  is  the  man  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  upon  whom  the 
territorial  environment  and  our  own  peculiar  social  and  political 
institutions  work  much  more  forcibly  and  directly  than  upon  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  who  are  subject  at  all  times  to 
European  influences? 

The  effect  of  the  fusion  of  many  peoples  into  one  in  the  work 
of  nationalization  I  will  not  stop  to  discuss.  But  nations  do  not 
wait  until  they  are  unalterably  fixed  in  character  before  they  pro- 
duce national  schools.  If  they  did,  national  schools  would  never 
exist.  The  Englishman  of  Chaucer's  time  is  not  the  Englishman 
of  Tennyson's,  any  more  than  the  American  of  to-day  is  the 
American  of  the  days  of  Salem  witchcraft.  The  law  of  the  world 
is  progress. 

Nor  is  it  wise  to  put  back  the  dawn  of  an  American  school 
by  dogmatically  declaring,  as  I  have  heard,  that  the  music  of  a 
"school"  must  contain  some  element  that  is  its  exclusive  prop- 
erty, or  an  "  aesthetical  principle  drawn  from  the  language  of  the 
country,"  or  a  "clear  and  unmistakable  reflex  of  national  character- 
istics." These  -phrases  sound  well,  and  there  is  just  enough  truth 
in  them  to  make  them  plausible  and  dangerous.  In  the  highest 
instance  I  might  even  accept  them  as  conclusive;  but  if  we  were 
to  enforce  them  strictly  in  an  estimate  of  the  music  of  the  civilized 
world  we  would  have  to  reorganize  musical  history.  Many  of 


RETROSPECT 

the  ''schools"  in  which  we  have  fondly  believed  would  have  to 
go  into  the  limbo  of  myths  to  keep  Homer  and  William  Tell  com- 
pany. What  was  Dutch  in  the  Netherland  school  of  contrapunt- 
ists? What  was  Neapolitan  or  Florentine  or  Roman  in  the  schools 
which  had  their  origin  in  Naples,  Florence,  and  Rome?  What 
does  the  music  of  Tschaikowsky  (who,  I  take  it,  is  the  best  repre- 
sentative of  the  Russian  school)  contain  that  no  other  nation  shares 
in  ?  What  ' '  new  sesthetical  principle  derived  from  the  language 
of  the  country"  was  brought  to  light  by  the  Romantic  School  of 
Germany  ?  In  what  respect  was  Gluck  more  German  than  he 
was  French  or  Italian  ?  Was  Mozart  any  the  less  a  German 
because  he  wrote  for  Italian  librettos  and  Italian  singers  ?  Are 
not  Gluck  and  Mozart  worthy  of  being  ranked  with  the  founders 
of  schools  ?  Can  the  aesthetical  principle  of  Wagner  (not  his  appli- 
cation of  it,  mind,)  be  said  to  be  derived  from  the  German  lan- 
guage ?  Go  to !  We  must  not  juggle  with  sounding  phrases. 
Schools  are  the  products  of  imitation.  They  are  begotten  by 
creative  artists  of  strong  individuality  and  conceived  out  of  the 
desire  to  achieve  success  by  emulating  the  methods  of  the  strongly 
individual  creative  artist  who  has  hit  the  taste  of  the  people. 
In  other  words,  they  come  into  existence  because  younger  com- 
posers who  have  something  to  say  strive  to  say  it  in  a  way  in 
which  somebody  who  succeeded  gave  expression  to  his  ideas. 
The  success  of  the  somebody  in  turn  came  from  the  fact  that 
his  mode  of  expression  was  "racy"  of  the  people  to  whom  he 
belonged.  I  do  not  see  why  Handel  should  not  be  set  down 
as  an  English  composer.  He  was  a  cosmopolite  in  his  education, 
but  when  he  wrote  operas  in  Germany  and  Italy  he  did  not 
achieve  a  hundredth  part  of  the  success  which  he  won  later  in 
London  when  he  invented  a  form  of  entertainment  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  taste  of  the  English  people.  Handel  is  one  of  the 
great  lights  of  music  almost  wholly  as  he  presents  himself  in  his 
oratorios;  and  his  oratorios  are  English,  though  I  cannot  dis- 
cover in  them  the  "aesthetical  principle  derived  from  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country."  Rhythms  and  melodic  intervals  are 
derived  from  the  characteristic  music,  the  folk-tunes,  of  a  people. 
But  rhythms  and  melodic  intervals  are  not  the  only  factors  or 
elements  in  national  schools  of  music.  The  Neapolitan  school 


RETROSPECT 

of  opera  writers  were  once  addicted  to  the  use  of  the  "Scotch 
snap,"  and  the  same  rhythmical  figure  is  a  marked  feature  of 
Magyar  music;  but  the  essence  of  the  Neapolitan  and  Hungarian 
schools  does  not  lie  in  the  ' '  Scotch  snap  "  surely. 

We  are  not  hoping  for  an  American  school  in  a  day  or  even  in 
a  decade.  But  some  day  the  strong,  successful  writer  will  come 
and  the  school  will  quickly  follow. 


(174) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Abt,  Franz,  "  Evening," 54 

"  Twilight," 29 

Adam,   Adolphe,  "  Postilion  de  Lon- 
jumeau,"  .   .    12,  16,  26,  27,  33,  42,  44,  51 

Agarew,  Caprice, 139 

Agramonte,  Emilio,  Concert  of, .  .    .  .  129 

Alard,  "  Souvenir  des  Alpes,"    .  .  .  .102 

Alkan,  C.  V.(alne)  Andante,  A  major,    85 

"  "        Prieres,  op.  64,  Nos. 

1,  2,  and  4 50,  51, 59 

Alvars,  Parish,  "  Fairies'  Dance,"  .  .  133 
Ambrose,  R.  S.  "  One  Sweetly  Solemn 

Thought," 103 

American  Composers 171 

"         Concerts,   .  29,  31,  33,  36,  40,  165 

"        Opera  Subjects, 74 

Anderson,  E.  N.,"  Wind  of  Evening,".  141 
Anderton,  Thomas,  "  Norman  Baron,"100 
Andre,  "Bildniss  der  Mutter,"  ....  107 

Anschiitz,  Karl 9,  63 

Ansorge,  Conrad,  Recitals  of,   .  80,  84,  101 

"        Sonata,  F  minor, 101 

Apollo  Club,  Concerts  of       .   .  49,  104,  140 

Appoloni,  "  L'Ebolo," 106 

Arcadelt,  "  Ave  Maria," Ill 

Arion,  Mannergesangverein,  Concerts 

of 6,61,143 

"      Description  of  New  Hall,  ...     9 

"      History  of, 6 

Arne,  T.  A.,  Fugue,  D  minor 51 

Ashton,  Algernon,  Interlude, 56 

Astholz,  "Hunters' Joy," 113 

Auber,  "  Fra  Diavolo," 111,113 

"       Overture,  "  La  Muette,"    ...   30 
"  "         "LeChevalde  Bronze," 

113 
Bach,  J.  S.,  Canzona,  D  minor,  .  .  .  .  6,  98 

"     Bourees 140, 142 

"      Chaconne  for  violin  solo,  .  .  32, 130 
"  "       (arranged  for  orchestra) 

"     Choral  Prelude,"ChristunscrIIerr," 

81 

"          "  "        "Bin*  feste  Burg," 

103 

"          ••  "  "O  Menschbeweiu'," 

110 


PAGE. 

Bach,  Choral  Prelude,  "  Schmiicke  dich," 

129 
"  "  "    "  Christ  lag  in  To- 

desbanden,"    .  .  133 
"      Concerto,  G  major,  for  strings,  .  108 

"  "          G  major 140 

"          in  G  (Vivaldi's)    .  .  .  129 

"      Fantasia  in  G 129 

"  "       and  Fugue,  A  minor, .  59, 81 

"  "          "       "     G  minor, .  .  106 

"      Fugue,  (St.  Ann's) 43 

"  "     G  minor, 56 

"  "     D  minor, 79 

"     B  minor, 123,  138 

"      Gavotte 142 

"      Gigue, 72, 109 

"      Passacaglia,  with  Fugue,  C  minor, 

129 

"      Pastorale 73 

"      Prelude,  A  minor 50 

"  "        B  minor, 112 

"  "       and  Fugue,  G  major,    .     1 

"  "  "       "      A  minor,  .  4, 85 

"  "  "        "      D  minor,  12,  125 

"  "  "       "      E  minor,  14,  111 

"  "  "       "      C  minor,  .  .   28 

"      E-flat,    ...  135 

"      B-flat,    ...  128 

"  "  "       "      C  major,  .  .  130 

"  "          "       "      G  minor,  .  .  138 

"      Sarabande,  from  Suite  for  'cello,.  81 

"      Sicilienne 142 

"      "St.  Matthew  Passion,"    .  .  .  .  124 

"      Suite,  No.  3,  D  major 82, 103 

' '     Symphony  from  Christmas  Oratorio, 

60 

"      Toccatas, 107,  129,  140 

"     Toccata  and  Fugue,  D  minor,  29,  32 

"      Trio  Sonata,  No.  4, 129 

"         No.  6 101 

' '      Variations  on  ' '  Christ  der  Du  bist, ' ' 

129 
Bach-Bachrich,  Prelude,  Adagio   and 

Gavotte 57 

Bach-Best,  Bourree  from  'Cello  Sonata,  96 
"       "     Minuet, 54 


(175) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Bach-Best,  Adagio  and  Fugue  from  a 

Violin  Sonata 141 

Bach-Esser,  Prelude,  Chorale  and  Fugue, 

43 

Bach-Gounod,  "Ave  Maria"  .  .  54,  61, 130 
Bach-Hellmesberger,  Fiigue,  A  minor, 

53,85 

Bach-Liszt,  Prelude  and  Fugue,  A  mi- 
nor,   62 

Bache,  F.  E.,  Andante  and  Allegro,  .  116 
Baermann,  Carl,  Concerto  for  clarinet,  69 
Balfe,  "  Bohemian  Girl,"  .  98, 102, 103,  112 

"      "Excelsior," 139 

Banks'  Glee  Club  Concerts, .  .  54, 113, 149 
Banner,  Michael,  Concert  of,  ....  130 
Bargiel,  Woldemar,  "Intermezzo," 

28,  54,  169 

"        "  Marcia  Fantastica,"    ....     6 
"        Overture,  "  Prometheus,"  .  .  107 

Barnby,  Joseph,  Andantino, 1 

"         Lullaby 49 

"Rebekkah," 58 

"         Vesper  Music, 54 

Bazzini,  Quartet,  op.  75,        ....  37,  97 

Beck,  Johann,  Sextet,  D  minor,     .  36,  169 

Becker,  Albert,  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  .  110 

"Song  of  the  Winds,"  ....   59 

"       "Springtide," 100 

Beethoven,  "Ah!  Perfido!" 140 

"  Concerto  for  pianoforte  No.  1, 

44,  52,  72,  111 

"          Concerto  for  pianoforte  No.  3, 
50,  55,  70, 104 

Concerto  for  pianoforte  No.  4, 
104 
"       "       No.  5, 

60,  124,  125,  126 
"    Violin,  ...   80 
Fantasia  for  pianoforte  and 

Chorus, 33 

"  Fidelio," 
13,  44,   71,   72,  85, 127, 149, 159 

"  Fugue,  op.  133, 134 

"          Overture,  "Egmont,"!,  103, 105 
"  "         "Prometheus,"3, 102 

"  "         "Coriolan,"    .  .    16 

"         "  Leonore  "  No.  1, 

28,60 

"      No.  2,  56,  60 
"    No.  3,  60,  109 

"  "      "  Konig  Stephan,"  87 

Quartet,  op.  59,  No.  3, .  .  .124 

op.  135, 104 

"  Sonata,  op.  10,  No.  3,  .  .  62, 140 


PAGE. 

Beethoven,  Sonata,  op.  13, 83,  % 

op.  14,  No.  2,  ...  84 

"    op.  26, 130 

op.  27,  No.  2,  62,  83, 106 

"       "    op.  28, 128 

op.  31,  No.  2,  .  .  50,  80 

"   op.  53, 62 

op.  57 108 

"       "   op.  81, 83 

"       "    op.  109, 80,  83 

op.  110, 83 

' '       pianoforte  and  violin , 

op 47,  5,  82 

Symphony  No.  1,    ...  60,  100 

No.  2, 57 

No.  3, 108 

No.  5,  ....  14,  32 

"  "  No.  6 149 

No.  7,  .  16,   60,   113 
No.  8,  .    .   .128,135 
"          Thirty-two  variations,  C  mi- 
nor      5 

Trio,  op.  1,  No.  3, 32 

"     op.  97 124 

Variations,  op.  35 84 

Metronome  marks  on   his 

Symphonies 136 

Beethoven-Best  Adagio,  Fourth  Sym- 
phony,      12 

"      Andante  from  op.  12,  96 
"            "      Military  March,  ...  101 
"      Andante   and    Varia- 
tions  141 

Beethoven  String  Quartet,  Concerts  of, 

43,  81,  124 

"Begum," 34,  168 

Bellini,  Duet  from  "  I  Puritani,"    .  27, 107 

"       "Quilavoce," 106,107 

"       "Son  vergin  vezrosa,"   ....    97 
Bendel,"Ah!    How   oft    my   soul    is 

moved,"     141 

"       "Heart-throbs," UO 

"Prayer," 125 

Bergmann,  Karl 9,  63 

Berlioz  and  Spontini 78 

"      "  Le  Spectre  de  la  Rose,"  .  .  .  110 

"      Overture,  "  Le  Corsair,".  .  .   43 

"  "  Carnaval  Romain,"44 

"  "King  Lear,"    .  .  .  113 

"      "  Rakoczy  "  March,   ...  28,  42,  72 

"      Symphony,  "  Harold  en  Italie,"  80 

"  "       •'  Romeo  et  Juliette," 

37,  73,  110 
Berner-Hesse,  "  Das  Kindleinwiegen,"  60 


(I76) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Bernicat  and  Mcssager,  "  Victor,  the 

Bluestocking," 104,112,113 

Best,  W.  T.,  Fantasia,  E-flat 128 

"     Fantasia  on  Christmas  Carols  .  .    60 

"    Pastorale 79 

Beviguani,  "  La  Fioraia,"     83 

Bird,  Arthur,  Gavotte, 1 

"     Scherzo  from  Symphony  in  A,  .   31 
Bird,  H.  R.,  Processional  Wedding 

March 28 

Bizet,  "  Carmen, "86,  96,  97, 100, 101, 103, 129 
"      "Les  Pecheurs  des  Perles,"  ex- 
cerpts from 27,  28,  30 

"     Minuet 29 

"     Toreador  Song  ("Carmen"),  -  •    50 

Boccherini,   Minuet, 110,  142 

Boehm,  "  Souvenir  des  Alpes,"  .  ...  82 
Boely,  A.  P.  F.,  Andante  in  G  minor,  1 

"     Fantasia  in  G 124 

Botel,  Heiurich, 3 

"Bohemian  Girl,"  .  .  .  98,102,103,112 
Bohm,  Carl,  Cavatina  and  Gavotte,  .  .  58 

"      "Dein," 109 

Boildieu,  "  La  Dame  Blanche,"  .  .  44,  49 

Boito  as  a  librettist, 146 

Bonalt,  Octave,  Meditation  Religieuse,  135 
Borodin,  "Serenata  a  1'Espagnola,"  97 
Boston  Symphony  Society, 

57.  58,  80,  105,  131 
Bradsky,  "  Thou  art  my  all,"  4,  87, 106, 124 

Brahms,  Capriccio,  B  minor, 141 

"       "  Heimweh,"     6 

"        Hungarian  Dances,  .     81, 100, 124 

"       "Junge  Lieder," 5 

"Lullaby," 51 

"       "Minnelied," 5 

"      Quartet,  op.  51,  No.  2 81 

"      Symphony  No.  2, 56 

No.  3 60, 131 

No.  4 86 

"       Variations,  op.  21 101 

"       "Von  ewiger  Liebe," 5 

"  "  Wie  bist  du  meine  Konigin,"  72 
Brahms-Joachim,  Hungarian  Dances,  110 
Brambach,  G.  J.,  "Summer  Night,"  .  53 
Brandeis.  F.,  "Danse  Heroique,"  .  .  .  123 
Brandt,  Marianne,  performance  of 

"Fidelio," 127 

Bristow,  Geo.  F.  "Soldiers'  chorus,"  .   54 

"         Six  pieces  for  Organ 105 

Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society,  Concerts 
of,  29, 54, 60,  85, 102, 110,  111,  116,  128,  142 
Bruch,  Max,  Air  from  "  Achilleus," 

57,  83, 110 


PAGE. 

Brnch,  Concerto  for  violin,  No.  1,  .  1,  6, 13 

"       No.  2,  .  .  .128 

"       "Normannenzug,"    ....  61.143 

"       "Media  Vita," 149,150 

Bruckler,  H.,"  Lieder  des  jung  Werners,"  5 
Bruckner,  Anton,  Symphony  No.  4, 

"Romantic," 126,169 

Biichler,  F.,  "Treachery," 49 

Buck,  Dudley,  "At  Evening,"    ....  125 

"      "  Hark  the  Trumpet," 104 

"      Impromptu  Pastorale 59 

"      "  King  Olaf's  Christmas,"  ...    49 
"       "  Merry  Brown  Thrush,"    .129,130 

"      "On  the  Sea," 55,140 

"      Triumphal  March 33 

"       "Twilight," 102 

"      Variations  on  a  Scotch  Air,    .  .  138 
"  "         on  Star  Spangled 

Banner, 43 

Bungert,  August,  "  Auf  der  Wartburg," 

113,  169 

Burr,  Willard,  "  Love  Song," 36 

Buxtehude,  D.,  Prelude  and  Fugue,  .    54 

"          Toccata  and  Fugue,  ...  112 

Caldicott,  A.  J.,  "  Little  Jack  Homer,"  54 

Calkin,  J.  B.,  Allegretto,  op.  62  ....     4 

"      Marche  Religieuse,  op.  61,  ...     4 

Camp,  J.  S.,  "  The  Sea  Hath  its  Pearls,"  51 

Campanini  Concerts,  27,  28,  30, 106,  107,  131 

"         Opera  Company,    .  .  .  107, 162 

Capocci,  Allegretto,  C  major,     .    4,  73, 107 

"        Cantabile  in  C, 81 

"        Gran  Coro  Trionfale 43 

"        Melodia  in  D, 107 

"         Offertorio  in  C 98 

"        Preghiera, 4 

"        Prelude  and  Fugue,  D  minor,  116 

"        Sonata,  G  minor 29 

Caracciolo,  "  Unless," 110 

"  Carmen,"     .  .  86,  96,  97,  100,  101. 103, 129 

Carnall,  Arthur,  "  Melody," 112 

Carri  Brothers,  Concerts  of, 

35,  58,  83,  110,  140 

Cam  H.,  "Chanson  sans  paroles,"  .  .  140 

"      "  Le  Temps  qui  s' en  vole,"     .  .  140 

"      "Une  Fleur  Priutanniere,"    .  .140 

Chadwick,  G.W.,  Overture,"  Melpomene," 

143, 169 
"         Quartet,  D  major,  ...  36,  169 

"         "  She  loves  me," 33 

"         "  Sweet  Wind  that  blows,"  .   33 

Cherubini,  "  Ave  Maria," Ill 

"         Overture,  "  Auacreou,"  .   .  139 
Chopin,  Ballades, 96, 109,  130 


(177) 


INDEX 


PAGE, 

Chopin,  Andante  Spianato  and  Polonaise, 

33 

"       Barcarolle, % 

"       Berceuse,  .  .  .  .  5, 96, 102, 104, 108 
"        Concerto  in  E  minor,  16,  62,  97, 142 

"  "        in  F  minor, 1 

"       Etude,  op.  10,  No.  8 141 

"       Impromptu,  F-sharp,  ...    50,  96 
"       "  Lithauisches  Lied,"  ....  109 

"       Marche  Funebre 5 

"        Mazurkas 57,  71,  85 

"        Nocturnes,  5,  30,  44,  50,  55,  57,  62, 
71,  80,  84,   96,  105,  111,  123,  138,  141 
"       Polonaises, 

13,  29,  50,  58,  62,  84,  96,  105,  111 

"       Preludes 62, 101 

"        Scherzi 13,  29,  96,  108,  139 

"       Sonata,  B-flat  minor, 96 

"       Variations  Brillante, % 

Waltzes,  29, 44,  52,  57,  62,  71,  85,  96, 
102, 108,  141 
Chopin-Liszt,"  Chant  Polonais,"  .  .  58,  80 

Chopin-Sarasate,  Nocturne, 53,  83 

Chopin-Thomas,  Funeral  March, 

53,  54,  108,  149 

Chopin- Viardot,  Mazurka,  97,  106,  107,  149 
Chopin- Vogrich,"  Ring  out,  wild  bells," 

51 

Chopin- Voyer,  Polonaise, 106 

Chopin-Wilhelmj,  Nocturne 4 

Clarke,  Hamilton,  Minuet 84 

"       Pastoral  in  F, 110 

Cooper,  J.  T.,  Sonata  Ecclesia 51 

Corelli,  Pastorale 130 

Couperin-Best,  Rondo  Passacaille,   .  .    81 
Co  wen,  F.  H.,  Intermezzo  from  "  Sleep- 
ing Beauty," 143, 168 

Cowen,  Symphony  No.  5,  in  F,  .  .  113,  169 

"       "  The  Better  Land," 130 

Cui,  Cesar,  Petite  Marche 43 

D' Albert,  Eugene,  Symphony  No.l,  43, 169 
"         "  Maiden  and  Butterfly, ".  .    58 

Damrosch,  Dr.  Leopold, 9 

Air  from  "  Sulamith,"  .  53, 113 

"  Siegfried's  Sword,"    ...   43 

Damrosch,  Symphony  Society's  Concerts, 

53,  72,  100 

Dargomijsky,  "  Cosatschoque,"  ....   69 
Davidoff,  Introduction  and  Polonaise, 

32,102 

Dayas,  W.  H.,  Polonaise 33 

De  Beriot,  Concertos 4, 13, 106 

"       "Scene  de  Ballet," 107 

Decker,  "The  Jolly  Old  Crow,"  .  .   .  .  149 


PAGE. 

De  Koveu,  R.,  "  The  Begum,"  .   .   .  34,  168 

De  Lange,  S.,  Andante,  C  minor,   ...    31 

"         Organ  Sonata,  No.  5,    ....    12 

De  Lara,"  The  Garden  of  Sleep,"  ...  104 

Delibes,  "  Cadiz  Maidens," 87 

"       Selections  from  "Sylvia,"  .  62, 139 
"       "Thou  Great,  Mighty  Sea,"   .  140 
D'Ernesti,  T.,  Introduction    and    An- 
dante, Religioso 105 

Deshayes,  Henri,  Allegretto 56,  108 

"         Andante  Religioso 123 

"         "Communion," 96,138 

"         Grand  Choeur  et  Priere,  .  .    28 

"        March.  D  major, 107 

"         Marche  Triomphale,  ....    12 

"         "  Meditation," 128 

"        Pastorale,  op.  5, 1 

"         "  Romance  Sans  Paroles,"  .  138 

"         Scherzo  in  F 59 

DeSwert,  Gavotte, 59 

Dewey,  F.,  Mazurka 33 

Dienel,  Otto,  Adagio,  op.  31,  No.  1,  .  .    14 

"       Andante  espressivo, 107 

"       Concert  Piece,  D  minor,    ...    % 

"       "Echo  Audante," 81 

"        Funeral  March, 6,  125 

Di  Murska,  lima,  Concert  of, 70 

"Don  Giovanni," 72,117 

Donizetti,  Air  from  "  La  Favorita,"    .    84 
"  "       "     "  Lucrezia  Borgia," 

85,% 

"  "  Chi  mi  frena,"  ("  Lucia,")  30 

"  "Daughter  of  the  Regiment," 

82,  87,  98,  100,  103 
"          Duet  from  "  La  Favorita," 

31,  38,  42,  105,  106 
"  L'Elisir  d'Amore,"  .   .  42, 112 
"  "  O  mio  Feruaiido,"  .  ...   57 

"          Rondo  from  "  Lucia,"  .  .   .    30 
"  "Spirtogentil,"     .  .   .  .27,52 

"          "Sulla  tomba,"  ....  106,  107 

Doppler,  F.,  Nocturne, 140 

"Dorothy," 14,60,149,168 

Douillet,  P.,  Concert  of 29 

Dregert,  A.,  "Spanisches  Stiindchen," 

143 

Driffield,  "  Come  Follow  Me,"    .  .   .  .  102 
Dubois,  Th.,  Cantilene  Nuptiale,  .  .  .    60 

Fantasia  in  E 81 

"       "  March  des  Rois  Mages,"    .  80,  81 

OfFertoire,  E-flat 103 

in  E 31 

"        Toccata  in  G, 31,  130 

Dupont,  A.,"Angelus,"  op.  16,  No.  2,  .    60 


(178) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Dupont-Westbrook,  Gavotte,  G  minor,   12 
Dvorak,  Overture,  "  Hositzka,"    .  .14,29 
"        "  Quis  est  Homo,"  ...      .  .129 
"       Slavonic  Dances,  op.  72, 

28,  54,  61,  169 

"       Symphony  No.  1 125 

No.  2, 80 

"       Terzetto,  violins  and  viola,  60, 169 

Eckert,  "  Echo  "  song 97 

Eichenkranz,  Concert 139 

Eisfeldt,  Th.,"  On  the  Seashore,"  ...  140 

"Elijah," Ill 

Engelsberg,  "  Die  Muttersprache,"  .  .    82 

"          On  upper  Langbathsea,    .  140 

"  Entfilhrung  aus  dem  Serail,"  ....  135 

"  Erminie," 82 

Ernst,  "  Airs  Hongrois," 1,  5,  140 

"    Fantasia,  "II  Pirata,"    .  .      .  .  110 

"         "  Othello," 83 

"Euryanthe," 

2,  42,  57,  62,  70,  79,  85,  97,  152,  153 
Evans,  Frederick  S.,  Concert  of,  .  .  .  123 
"  Faust,"  ...  56,  58, 107,  135,  138,  152,  153 
Federlein,  G.,  "  My  Soul  is  Dark,"  .  .  52 

"          Waltz  Song, 149 

"  Ferdinand  Cortez,"  .  .  .  .  73,  80,  81, 168 
"Fidelio," 

13,  44,  71,  72,  85,  127,  150,  152,  153,  159 
Fink,  C.,  Sonata,  E-flat,  op.  6,  ...  59,  111 

Fischer,  Emil,  as  Hagen, 94 

Fittig,  "  O,  Diarnle  tief  drunt  im  Thai," 

82 

Fleming, ''Integer  vitse," 104 

"  Fleur  de  The," 129 

Floersheim,  Otto,  "  Elevation,"    ...   55 

"  Nocturne 139 

"  Novelette, 101 

"  "  O  Linger  Yet," 139 

"  Scherzo 61, 169 

Florio.Caryl,  Concert  of  his  Compositions, 

131 

Flotow,  "  M'appari," 28,  42 

"Martha,"     ..5,12,44,84,85,97 

"        "Stradella," 31 

Foeppl,  C.  A., "La  Garde," 113 

Foote,  Arthur,  "  Farewell  of  Hiawatha," 

54 

"      "  Milkmaid's  Song,"     36 

"      Overture,  "In  the  Mountains,"  31 

"  Fra  Diavolo," Ill,  113 

Franchetta,  Alberto,  Preludio,  "  Asrael," 

86,169 

Franck,  C6sar,  Cautabile 28,  73 

"         Fantasia  in  A 54 


PAGE. 

Franck,  Cesar,  Finale,  B-flat 51 

"        Pastorale  in  E, 125 

"        "  Piece  Heroique,"  .  .  .  .43,101 
"  Francois,  les  Bas  Bleus,"  .  .  104, 112, 113 

Franz,  R.,  "Abschied," 141 

"      "  Ave  Maria," 56 

"      "Bitte," 32 

"      "  Er  ist  gekommen,"       ....  141 

"      "Lied," 106 

"      "  The  Thornbush," 109 

"      "  Through  the  Valley,"  .  .  .  .  109 

"  Freischutz," 9,  43,  53,  57,  72,  99 

Frescobaldi,  Fugue,  E  minor,    ....    50 

Frost,  C.  J.,  Larghetto 1,  84 

"     Variations  on ' '  Hark  the  Herald 

Angels," 98 

Fumagalli,  Sonata  in  D 31 

Gade,  Trio,  op.  42 110 

Garrett,  G.  M.,  Postlude 79 

Gastoldon,  "  Melody," 70 

German  Hospital,  Concert  for 82 

Germans  and  Music 6 

German  Opera  versus  Italian,  .  .  .  154, 162 
Gernsheim,  F.,"  Das  Grab  im  Busento," 

6,168 

"          Sextet,  op.  53 72, 169 

"Salamis," 61 

Gerster,  Etelka, 42 

Gevaert,  "Saul's  Prophetengesang,"  .     6 
Gigout,  Eugene,  Andante   and   Alle- 
gretto in  A  minor,    ....  110 
"       Andante  Sostenuto,  A  major,  .  98 

"       Largo,  D  minor 130 

"       Prelude  and  Fugue,  B  minor,  125 

Gilchrist,  W.  W.,"  Drinking  Song,"    .   51 

"         "  Festival "  Magnificat,    .  .    33 

Gleason,  F.  G., Arioso  froin"Montezuma," 

31 
"       Prelude  to  "  Otho  Visconti," 

69, 103,  169 

Glinka,  Air  from  "  A  Life  for  the  Czar," 

28 

"       "  Komarinskaja," 56 

"       "  Noble  Chief," 100 

Gluck,  Air  from  "  Armede," 131 

"      Ballet 51 

"Che  faro," 29,42,101 

Godard,  B.,"Au  Matin," 35 

' '       Canzonetta,  Minuet  and  Serenade, 

51 

"        "  Go  Not,  Happy  Day,"     ...  102 
"       "  Le  Retour  de  Prin temps,"    .102 

Mazurka, 32,  35 

Godefroid,  F.,"  Gouttes  de  Rosee,"  .  .  123 


(179) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Go  tterdam  m  eru  ng, 

80,  87,  97,  103,  107,  108,  110,  126,  152,  153,  168 

Goldbeck,  R.,  "  Cricket," 5 

"  "  Dream  Bells," 49 

"          "  Dreaming  by  the  Brook,"    4 

"  "  Memories," 5 

"  "  Three  Fishers," 105 

"  "  Tourbillon,"     4 

Goldner-Allen,  Andante  from   Suite, 

op.  40 105 

"  "    Suite,  op.  39 102 

Goldmark,  K.,  Overture,"  Sakuntala," 

55,  98,  111,  112 
"  "Queen  of  Sheba,"  .  .  .134 

Suite,  op.  11, 103 

"          Symphony,     "  Landliche 

Hoehzeit," 

104, 125,  133, 142 

"  Trio,  op.  4, 83 

Gomez,  Aria  from  "  II  Guarany,"  .  42,  71 

"       Overture  "  .  .  104 

Gottschalk,  "Dernier  Amour,"  .  ...     5 

"          "  LeBananier," 50 

"         Tarantella 106 

"          "Tremolo,"    .  .  102, 108 

Gounod,  "Ah  !    col  nibbio," 110 

"        "Ave  Maria," 61,  130 

"         "By  Babylon's  Wave,"  139,  141 
"        "Faust," 

56, 58,  107,  135,  138, 152,  153 

"        Festival  March 27 

"        "Le  parlate  d'amor,"  .  ,   .  .   52 
"        Marche  et  Cortege  from  "  La 

Heine  de  Saba," 101 

"         "  O  Salutaris," 141 

"        "  Ou  voulez  vous  aller  ?  "  .  .   36 
"         "  Plus  grand  dans  son  obscu- 
riteV'  from  "La  Reine  de 
Saba,"    .   .   .  .37,104,113,141 
"         "  Quandoa  telieta,"  .  .   .  .  104 
"         Romanza  from  "  Cinq  Mars,"  107 
"         "  Salve  dimora,"  .  27,  28, 106, 139 

"         "  Spring  Song," 4 

"         "The  Worker," 129 

Gounod-Liszt,  Waltz  from  "  Faust,"  .   55 
Gounod-Martin,  excerpts  from  "The 

Redemption," 133 

Gounod  Vocal  Society  Concerts,  .  .  61,  141 

Gouvy,"  Swedish  Dance,," 140 

Graben-Hoffmann,  "  Schonster  Engel," 

82,  130 

Graedener,  "  Capriccio," 28 

"  Lustspiel  Ouverttire."  69, 169 
Grammann,  "Blissful  Joy," 109 


PAGE. 

Grammann,  "  Das  erste  Lied,"     ...  139 
Gregh,  "Deh  vieni  alia  flnestra,"  .   .    28 

Greiuer,  H.,    Conductor 9 

Grieg,  "Aus  Holberg's  Zeit,"  .  .  .  .  13,  50 

"      Berceuse, 142 

"      Concerto  for  pianoforte,  .  .  130, 135 

"      "  Der  Schwan," 55 

"      "  Erstes  Begegnen." 55 

"      "  Es  war  einmal  ein  Konig,"  .    73 

"      "  Herzwunden," 103 

"      "  Ich  liebe  Dich,"   ...  55,  124,  140 
"      "  Im  Friihling,"  .  .  61,  87,  100, 103 

"      Quartet,  op.  27 43,  55,  59,  97 

"      Sonata  for  pianoforte  and  violin,    4 

"      "The  Old  Song," 57 

Grieg- Allen,  "  Piece  Symphonique,"  .  135 
Grieg-Mees,  "Folklife,"  op.  19,    .  .  .  123 

Guilmant,  Air  and  Variations 61 

"  Allegretto,  B  minor,  ....  98 
"  Allegro,  F-sharp  minor  .  .  128 
"  "  Anthem,"  op.  33,  No.  1,  .  85 

"         Andante  in  G, 116 

"         Cantilene  Pastorale 103 

"         Canzona,  op.  40,  No.  2,  ...     1 
"         Fugue  in  D,  op.  25,  ...  27, 130 
"         Grand  Choeur,  D  major,  .  123 
"         Marche  Triomphale,  E-flat,    4 
"         Offertory  on  Christmas  Hymns, 
60,  73,  79 

"         Scherzo,  op.  16,  No.  4,  ...    85 

Sonata  for  organ  No.  3,  107, 112 

"      No.  4,    .  .    32 

Guiraud,  Ernest,  "  Carnival,"  ...  40,  169 
Halevy,  "  La  Juive,"  .  54, 57, 60,  83, 152, 153 
Hall,  Walter  J.,  Concert  of,  ......   32 

Handel,  "Awake!    Saturnia,"  .  .  102,  104 

"       Fugue,  E  minor, 124 

"        Largo  in  G 125, 142 

"Messiah,"  .  .  70,  73,  80,  113,  149 
"  Prelude  and  Fugue,  E  minor,  31 
"  "  Return,  O  God  of  Hosts."  .  Ill 

"        "  Sound  an  Alarm," 107 

"       Variations  ("  Harmonious  Black- 
smith"),         55,  109 

Handel-Best,  Larghetto  from  twelfth 

concerto 125 

"         "      Overture,   "Saul,".  .  .105 
Handel-Lux,  Three  pieces  from  "  The 

Messiah," 80 

Hartmann,  Emil,  Overture,  "The  Vi- 
kings,"     116,  122 

Hartmann,  V 9 

Harwood,  Basil,  Andante  in  D 124 

Hasse,  "  Ritorne  rai  fra  poco,"  ....    35 


(180) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Hatton,  J.  L.,  "The Enchantress,"  .  .  51 
Hauptmaun,  M.,  "  Gretchen,"  .  ...  49 
Hauser,  Rhapsodic  Hongroise,  .  .  27,  106 
Hawley,  C.  B.,  "  Ah !  'tis  a  Dream,"  .  .  51 
Haydn,  As  a  writer  of  programme  music, 

137 

"        Quartet,  D  major,  op.  64,  .  .  103 

"       "Rolling  in  Foaming  Billows," 

108,  150 

"       Symphony  in  C,  "L'Ours,"  .  135 
"                  "           "  E-flat,   .  .   .  37,110 
"       Variations  in  F  minor  ....    80 
"                 "         "  Emperor,"  ...  109 
Haydn-Best,  Adagio  from  fourth  sym- 
phony  50 

"         "    Adagio  from  symphony  in  G, 

59 

"         "    Allegretto  in  D, 84 

"         "    "  Insanse,"  motet,.  .  .  .133 
Henrion,  "Le  Muletier  de  Tarragone," 

124,  142 

Henselt,  "Ave  Maria," 12,  32 

"       Concerto  for   pianoforte,  .  .    60 

"        Etude,  op.  2,  No.  2, 130 

"  "         "Eroica," 83 

"       Scherzo, 113 

"       Trio,  A  minor,      58 

Herbert,  V.,  Concerto  for  violoncello, 

56, 169 

Herman,  Reinhold  L.,  "  Song  to  May, "109 
"    Scenes  from  "  Launcelot,"  150, 168 
Hesse,  Adolph,  Prelude  and  Fugue, 

C  minor, 141 

"      Theme  and  Variations Ill 

"      Toccata,  A-flat 124 

Higgs,  H.  M.,  Offertory,  D  minor,  ...    50 

"      Pastorale ,      ....   27 

Hiles,  Henry,  Festival  March  in  C,  .  .  31 
Hiller,  F.,  "  O  world,  thou  art,"  ...  113 

"      "The  Larks," 54 

Hlavac,  "  Chopin  Suite," 123,169 

Hoeh,  Louise,  Concert  of, 109 

Hofmann,  H.,"  Clerici  beati  sunt,"  97,  129 

"Expectation," 141 

"          Sextet,  op.  65, 124 

"  Summer  Nights,"    ....   59 
Hofmann-Shelley,  "  Russian  Romance," 

32 

Hofmann,  Josef,  Concerts  of,  44,  50.  52,  55, 
57,  58,  62,  70,  71,  72,  83,  85,  96, 
101,  104,  109,  111,  165. 

"          Barcarolle,      101 

"  Berceuse, 44,  84,  109 

"  "  Les  larmes," 62,  101 


PAGE. 

Hofmann,  Josef,  Mazurka 52 

"          "  Polonaise  Americaiue,"  .    85 

"          Romance 52 

"          Serenade 84 

"          Souvenir, 52 

"  "  The  Devil's  Mill,"  .  70,  84, 109 

"  Waltz 44,  52,  72,  84, 105 

Hopkins,  E.  J.,  Allegro  Modera to  in  A,  54 

"         SicilianoinG .  .  135 

Huber,  Hans,  Fantasia,  C  minor,     .  .  112 
"       "  Romischer  Carnaval,"  .  .56,169 
Hummel,  Concerto,  A  minor,     ....  102 
Huss,  Henry  Holdeu,  "Ave  Maria," 

142,  168 
"      Rhapsody  for  pianoforte  and 

orchestra, 29,  169 

Irish  Music,  Concerts  of 128 

"         "      Spirit  of 98 

Isenmann,  "  Gut'  Nacht,  ihr  Blumen,"  82 

Italian  versus  German  Opera, 162 

Jadassohn,  Andante, 140 

"          Trio  in  C  minor, 36 

Jensen,  "Bridal  Song," 112 

"        "  Friihlingslied," 72 

"       "Murmuring Zephyrs,"    .  .  .129 

Joachim,  Romance 107 

"         Scene  from  "  Demetrius,"    .  143 

Jiingst,  Hugo,  "  Parting," 53 

"       Zwei  Altslavische  Lieder,  143, 168 

Kalkbrenner,  Pianoforte  Duo 57 

Kelley,  Edgar  S.,"  Chinese  Love  Song," 

83 

"       "In  the  Garden," 83 

"       "  Love  and  Sleep," 109 

"      "Love's  Fillet," 109 

"       "  My  Silent  Song," 109 

"       "Royal  Gaelic  March,"  .  ...   31 

"       Scherzo, .   .    33 

Kiel,  F.,  "Humoreske," 102,109 

Kienzl,  "German  Shepherds,"  ....    59 

King,  Oliver,  "Israfel," 97 

Kjerulf,  "  Sing,  Sing," 36 

Klahre,  Edwin,  Concerts  of 50,  130 

Klein,  Bruno  Oscar,  "  Dialogue,"  .  .  .     6 
"      "Hochzeitskliinge,"     .  .  .142,169 

"      "  Liebeslied," 142, 169 

"      "  O  du  meine  liebliche  Liebe,"  49 
Klindworth,  Karl,  Recitals  of,  .  83,  96,  100 

Kneisel  Quartet,  Concert  of, 108 

Koschat,  "  Forsaken," 149 

Krebs,  J.  L.,  Prelude,  A  minor,    .   .  .  124 

"      Prelude  and  Fugue  in  C,    ...   27 

Kremser,  Altniederlandisch.es  Lied,   .   82 

Kretschmer,  Coronation  March,  .  .  57,  71 


(181) 


INDEX 


TACK. 

Kreutzer,  C.,"Schafer'sSonntagslied,"  82 

"  Waldeslied," 6 

Krug,  Arnold,  Intermezzo,  .....  105 
"  Serenade,  Sextet,  .  .  .  87, -r.i.  K.'.> 
"  Symphonic  Prologue  "  Othello," 

82,  108,  131 
Kuehmstedt,  "  Fantasia  Eroica,"  ...  105 

Kullak,  Th.,  Pastorale  in  F 123 

Lachner,  "  Mondscheinnacht,"     ...  139 

Lacomb,  P.,  "The  MimiiiK" 52 

"  La  Dame  Blanche,"     44,49 

"  La  Figlia  del  Reggimento," 

82,  87,  98, 100,  103 

"  La  Jtlive,"  ....  54,  57,  60,  83, 152,  153 
Lalo,  Edouard,  Overture,  "Le  Roi  d'Ys," 

81, 170 
"       Excerpts  from  "  Namouna," 

43,  170 

Lassen,  "  All  Souls' Day," 58 

"       "  Die  helle  Sonne," 102 

"       "Ich  denke  Dein," 43 

"  "  Sommer- Abend,"  .  .  .  .  33,  124 
"  "Thine  Eyes,  so  Blue,"  .  .  .  49 
"  "  Wfiin  dor  Kriihliug,"  ...  37 

"       "Wohin?" 43 

Laub,  Polonaise,     3,  83 

Lawtou,  Mr.  and  Mrs.W.  H.,  Concert  of, 

105 

Le  Clair,  Josephine,  Concert  of  ....  138 
Lecocq,  "  Madelon,"  ("  La  petite  Made- 
moiselle,")     52 

"       "  Pearl  of  Pekin,"  ("  Fleur  de 

The,") 128 

Lehmann,  Lilli,  as  Bninnhilde '.>;; 

Leiter,  J.,  "  Drinking  Song," 53 

"L'Elisird'Amore," 42,112 

Lemaigre,  Andantino,  A-flat, Ill 

"          Cantabile,  B-flat 6 

"          Elegie,  C  minor, 14 

"          Prelude,  C  minor 6 

Lemmens,  Souatc  Pascale, 85 

"  "        I'ontitieale,  ....    56 

Lenz,  "  Landsknccht's  Morgenlied,"  .   53 

"    "Schnsucht,"     53 

Leonard,  "  Souvenir  de  Haydn,"  .  .  .  54 
Lessmann,  O.,»"  Du  rothe  Rose,".  .139 
Liebe,  L.,  "Das  Heldengrab,"  ...  33 

"  "  In  the  Night," 49 

"  "  Krieger's   Nachtwache,"139 

Liederkranz  Concerts 7,  S3,  99,  150 

Liszt,  "Annecs  de  Pelerinage,"  ....  100 

"      Ballades 13,100,139 

"      "  Can tique  d' Amour," 5 

"     Concerto  No.  1 61,  73 


Liszt,  Concerto  No.  2 61 

"      "Die  drei  Zigeuuer," 143 

"      "  Dreams  of  Love," 50 

"      Etudes 13,  50,  100 

"      "  Evocation  &  la  Chapelle  Sixtine," 

133 
"      Fantasia,  "  Les   Huguenots,"  .  101 

"      Fantasie  Hongroise, 133 

"      "Faust"  Symphony, 140 

"      "Fest-Kliinge," 33 

"      "Galop    Chromatique,"  .  .       .    62 
"      "  Glocken  des  Strassburger  Miiu- 

sters," 33 

"      "  Gondoliera," 109, 110 

"      "Harmonies  du  Soir," 101 

"      Hungarian  Rhapsodies,    .  4,  28,  32, 
36,  49,  53,  54,  56,  69,  80,  84,  97,  99, 
100,  108,  110,  113,  116,  123,  133,  141 
"      "  Illustration  xur  Afrikanerin," 

130 

"      "  Le  Rossignol," 5, 130 

"      "Lea  Preludes," 43,85,100 

"      "  Litanei," 43 

"      "  Mignon," 29,  140 

"      "O  Salutaris," 113 

"     Polonaise  No.  2, 

30,  42,  81,  84,  100, 102,  104,  125,  140 

"      Psalm   CXXXVII 113,  168 

"      Sonata,  B  minor, 100 

"      "Tanz  in  der  Dorfschenke,"  .   53 

"      "Tasso," 86 

"      "Thou'rt  like  a  flower,".  .  .   48 

"     Valse  Impromptu 100 

"      Variations  on  Bach's"  Crucifixus," 

133 

Litolff,  "Concerto  Symphonique,"  14,  100 
Lloyd,  Charles  A.,"  Lougbeard's  Saga,"  53 
"Lohengrin," 

49,  50,  63,  70,  86,  99,  103,  109,  138,  152,  153 
Lortzing,  Air  from  "  Undine,"  ....    82 

Ludwig,  William,  Concerts  of 128 

Lysberg,  Fantasia  on  "  Don  Giovanni, "72 

Macfarreu,  G.  A.,  "  Religious  March,"  84 

"         "The  Hunter's   Joy,".  .   .149 

"          "You   Spotted  Sinikos."  .   .142 

Mackenzie,  A.  C.,  "  Come,  Sisters,  Come," 

100 

I'Vstival    March 82 

Macy,  J.C.,"  The  Chimes," 59 

"Madelon,"     52 

Mair,  Franz,  "  Like  the  Woodland  Rose," 

51.  102 

"     "  Suomi's  Song," 108 

"Manfred, "Schumann's  Music  to,  1 


(182) 


INDEX 


PA<;E. 
Manzocchi,  Duo  from  "  I  Pcscatori,"  .   28 

Marchetti,  "Senon  volcvi." 102 

Mareu/io,  "Sec  where  the  rapid,"  .  .  49 
Marie  Klisabeth,  "  Wk-genlied,"  .  .  .  81 
Marsh.  "The  Lord  is  My  Light,"  .  .  .  130 

"  Martha," 5,  12,  44,  84,  85,  97 

Mason,  W.  II.,  Scherzo 33 

Massenet,   "At   Kvening,"  .  .   .  .  138,   111 

"          "II  est  donx," 37 

"  Le  Cid, "  Ballet  from,  6,  97, 170 
"  "  Air  from     ....  129 

"         "  Marche  Heroique,"  -  .  85,  111 

"         "Ocastaflor," 27 

"  Overture,  "  Phedre,"  ....  71 
"  Scenes  Pittoresques, ....  101 
"  "Si  tu  veux,  Miguonne,"  .  .  53 

Mattoon,  E.  8.,  Tarantelle 33 

Mawsou,  Lucie  E.,  Concert  of 140 

McDowell,  K.  A.,  "  Hamlet,"    ...  29, 170 

"  "  My  .lean," 129 

McGuckin,  Barton,  Concerts  of 128 

"  MeistersiiiKcr," 

13,  29,  53,  57,  71,  113,  117,  130,  150,  152,  153 
Mellon,  A.,"  Crowned  with  the  Clusters," 

55 
Mendelssohn,  Capriccio,  B  minor, 

50,  103,  105 
"  "  Cheerful  Wanderer," 

54,  109,  140 
"          Concerto,  Q  minor, 

85,  96,  102,  109 
"  "       for  violin, .  .  .  3,  86 

"  "  Klijah," Ill 

"  FrUhlingslied,"     .  .  %,  ill 
"  "  If  with  all  your  hearts,"  57 

"Jerusalem," 103 

"          "  Lark's  Bong," 100 

"  "  Lift  thine  Eyes,"     ...    28 

"          March  from  "  Athalie,"   .125 

Meditation  VI,  1 108 

"  "  Morning  Prayer,"   .  .  .100 

"          Nocturne 14 

"          "  CEdipus,"  Scene  from,  .  149 
"  "O  Know  ye  Not,"     ...   60 

"  "O  Lord,  have  Mercy,"   .   60 

"          Organ  Sonata  No.  2,  ...     4 
"      No.  4,   ...  125 
"  "      No.  6,  ...    14 

"          Overture,  "Midsummer- 
night's  Dream, "41, 12!! 
"  "          "  Fingal's  Cave," 

53,  56,  101,  102 

"                "          "  Melusine,"  .   80 
"          "Parting  Song," 49 


PAGE. 
Mendelssohn, "Poet's  Heart,"  .      .  .  .  106 

"  Psalm  XI, II 62,  129 

Quartet,  op.  :i 109 

"  Quintet,  op.  «7 \\-> 

Romance,  op.  101),  B,  .  .   .  106 

"  K lo  lirilhuitc,     .    .    .  55,  59 

"      Capriccioso, 

55,  70,  84,  105,  106 
"          Scherzo  from  "  Midsum- 

mernight's  Dream,"    .    43 
"  Spinning  Song," 

52,  70,  96,  108,  111 

"  "Spring,"  V,  6 108 

"  "  Summer  Song,"    ....    54 

"          Trio,  C  minor, 104 

"  Walpurgis  Night,"  ...  141 

"  "  Wedding  March,"   ...    14 

Mendelssohn-Cooper,  Adagio  from  Octet, 

27 

Mendelssohn-Liszt,"On  Wings  of  Song,"  4 
Mendelssohn- Warren,  "  Es  1st  in  den 

Waldgesungen," 14 

Mendelssohn  Glee  Club  Concerts, 

63,  108, 149 

Mercadante,  " Ah!  B'  eestiuto."  .  .  .  106 
"  Air  from  "  II  Bravo,"  .  61, 149 
"  "  Soave  iminagine,"  .  .  .  129 

Merkel,  Andante,  op.  122, 4 

"       Christinas  March 79 

"       Easter  March, 138 

"       Introduction  and  Fugue, ...  96 

"       Overture,  C  minor 81 

"       Sonata,  G  minor 54 

"  "       D  minor 30, 112 

"  "       No.  6,  op.  137 133 

No.  3 102 

"  Messiah," 70,  73,  80,  113 

Metropolitan  Opera  Season,     .  .  .151,153 

Meyerbeer,  Air  from  "  Dinorah,"     .  .   62 

"          Ballad  from  "  L'Africaine, "71 

"          Cavatiuafrom  "  Robert,"  .  105 

"  "          "      "L'Africaine," 

61 
"          Coronation  March,  ....   96 

"  "  Fackeltanz," 70 

"          "  Fauciulle  che  il  core,"  .  107 
"  "  Les  Huguenots," 

55,  57,  58,  60,  61 

"          "  Nobil  Signer," 30 

"          Overture  "Struensee,"  .  .    83 
"          "  Prophet," 

31,  42,  128,  129,  152,  15S 
"  "  Schiller  March,"    .   .  .  .  109 

"          "  Sei  vendicata  assai,"    .  .106 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Meyer-Hellmund,  '•  Gestandniss,"  .  .  130 
"  "  Love,"  .  .  55, 102, 104 

"  "  Madchenlied,"     .149 

"  "Maiden  with  the 

lips  so  rosy,"  .  48,  97 

"  Nocturne,  op.  28,  .  .   58 

"  "  The  Daily  Question," 

62,  139 

"  "  Zauberlied,"  ("Magic- 

Song,")  .107,113,124 

Mockridge,  Whitney,  Concert  of   ...  139 

Mohr,  Hermann,  "  Das  Gewitter,"  99, 168 

"       "  To  the  Genius  of  Music,"    .  .  105 

Moor,  Emanuel,  Concert  of 62 

"      "Consolation," 62 

"      "Desire," 62 

"      Hungarian  Dances 62 

"      Nocturne,  D  major 62 

"      Suite  No.  2 62 

"      "To  the  Wind," 62 

"      "To  Zuleikah," 62 

Morandi,  G.,  "  Horn  "  Overture,   ...     1 
Morley,  Thos.  "  My  Bonny  Lass,"  ...  100 

Moszkowski,  Barcarolle, 4 

"  Serenata,  ...  32,  36, 101, 110 

"  Suite  No.  1,  ....  81,  116,  125 

"  "  Und  wiissten  die  Blumen," 

124 

Mozart,  Air  from  "  Constanze  und  Bel- 

mont,"  ("  Die  Entfuhrung,")  87 
"       Cavatina   from   "The   Magic 

Flute," 42, 131 

"       Concerto  in  D  minor,  .  .  52,  57,  71 
"       "  Dies  Bildniss  ist  bezaubernd 

schon," 131 

"       "  Dalla  sua  pace," 43 

"        "Don  Giovanni," 117 

"       "  Entfuhrung  aus  dem  Serail," 

135 

"       "  I  domeneo,"  Ballet  from,  .  .    14 
"       "E  Susanna  non  vien,"    ...   37 

"Madamina," 28,42,107 

"       "  Le  Nozze  di  Figaro,"   .  .   .  .149 
"        "  Non  pill  andrai,"    28,  52,  59,  109 

"       "Quisdegno," 107 

"        Requiem 50 

"       Rondo,  A  minor 71 

"       Sonata  for  two  pianofortes,     .    71 

"       Symphony  in  G  minor 104 

"       "  Voi  che  sapete," 28 

Mozart-Best.  Andante, 116 

Murio-Celli,  "  A  Father's  Love,"  ...    55 

"          " 'Mid  Starry  Deeps,"    .  .106 

Musurgia,  Concerts  of, 51, 105 


PAGK. 

Nardini,  Larghetto, 139 

"       Sonata  for  pianoforte  and  violin, 

83 

"  Nero," 134,  138 

Nessler,  "  Trompeter  von  Sakkingen," 
32,  38,  43,  51,  52,  61,  69,  82,  152,  153,  168 

Nessler,  Wedding  March, 105 

Neuendorff,  A 63 

"  Scherzo, 105 

New  York  String  Quartet,  Concerts  of 

55,  103,  112 

Nicholl,  H.W.,  Romance 105,111 

Nicode,  J.  L.,  Symphonic  Variations,  .  150 
Nicolai,  Overture,  "  Merry  Wives,"  .  .  85 
Niemann,  Albert,  as  Siegfried,  .  .  .  94,  95 

Niemaun,  R.,  Minuet, 83 

Novelties, 167 

Oakeley,  H.  S.,  Andante  in  D 102 

Oelschlager,  "  Sea  and  Heart,"  .  .  .  .105 
Oratorio  Society,  Concerts  of  .  .50,  70,  124 
Orpheus  Glee  Club,  Concerts  of  .  .55, 102 

Osgood,  Geo.,  "  Found," 59,149 

"Otello," 101,105,143,165,168 

Otto,  "  A  Summer  Landscape,"  ....  102 
Ouseley,  F.  A.  G.,  Overture,"  Hagar,"  125 

Paganini,  Concerto  No.  1, 35, 140 

"  Variations,  "  Mose,"     .  .  27,  28 

"          "  Witches'  Dance,"    ....  140 

Paganini-Liszt,  Caprices, 84 

"  "      "  La  Campanella," 

29,  50,  82,  101,  108 

Paganini-Schumann,  Etude 59 

Paine,  J.  K.,  Sonata,  pianoforte  and 

violin 36 

"      "Spring."  Symphony 29 

"      "Tempest," 37,110 

Paradies,  P.  D.,  Aria  in  E, 112 

Parker,  H.  W.,  "  King  Trojan,"  .  .  40,  168 

Parker,  "Jerusalem,"     149 

Parry,  C.  H.  H.,"  Blest  pair  of  Sirens,"  48 
Paul  ton  and  Jakobowski,  "  Erminie,"  82 

"  Pearl  of  Pekin," 128 

Pearson,  W.  W.,"  Three  Doughtie  Men," 

49,100 

Perry,  Edward  B.,  "  Loreley,"    ....    33 
"  Petite  Mademoiselle,  La, "    .  .      .  .   52 
Phelps,  E.  H.,"  The  Haunted  Stream,"  55 
Philharmonic  Society,  New  York,  Con- 
certs of 32,  56,  82,  108,  125,  149 

Philharmonic  Society,  Brooklyn,  Con- 
certs of,  29, 54,  60, 85, 102, 110,  111,  116, 128 
Philharmonic  Club,  Concerts  of 

37,  72,  104,  124 
Pinsuti,"  Now  the  Concert  is  all  over,"  139 


(184) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Pirani,  Gavotte," 50,  70 

Pitch,  Sense  of 45 

Piutti,  Carl,  "  Orgel  Hymne,"     ....  113 

Pohl,  R.  "  Das  Nordlicht," 150 

Ponchielli,  "Cielo  e  mar," 30 

"  Voce  di  donna,"    ....    27 
"  Postilion  de  Lonjumeau," 

12,  16,  26,  27,  33,  42,  44,  51 
Praeger,  F.  "  Life,  Love,  Strife,  Victory," 

142, 170 

Pratt,  Silas  G.  "  Reverie," 31 

Prodigies  in  Music 44 

"Prophete,".  .  .   .31,42,128,129,152,153 
Proxy  Marriage  in  "  Gotterdammerung," 

93 
Prudent,  "  Dance  of  the  Fairies,"    .  .  106 

"         "Les  Naiades," 108 

"Queen  of  Sheba," 134 

Raboch.W.  A.,  Concert  of 106 

Raff,  "  Am  Loreley  Fels," 13,50 

"    Cavatina, 4,  106 

"    Concerto  for  'cello,  op.  193,  .  128, 170 

"    "Ever  with  Thee," 55,104 

"    "  Good  Night  from  the  Rhine,"   .  48 
"    Quartet,  op.  192,  No.  2,    ...  124, 142 

"    Serenade 97 

"    "Spinning  Song," 106 

"  Symphony,  "1m  \Valde,"  .  .61,105 
Ragnarok,  Ethical  conception  of,  ...  95 
Rakowski,  Hungarian  Serenade,  ...  107 

Rameau,    Variations, 44, 101 

Randegger,  "Silver  Christmas  Bells,"  100 
"          Trio,  "I  Naviganti,"  ...   97 
Rauchenecker,  C.,  Quartet,  C  minor, 

112, 170 

Ravina,  Etude, 52,  55,  72,  105 

Reichardt,  "Love's  Request,".  ...    71 
Reichel.F.,"  Under  All  theTreetops,"  142 

Reinecke,    Gavotte 6 

Impromptu,   op.  66 109 

"  Manfred  "  music,   .  .  .61,84 

Variations,  "  Ein'  feste  Burg," 

28,  170 

Rheinberger,  "Autumn  Song,"  ....  109 
•'  Fantasia,  op.  79,  ....  130 

"  "Fantasia  Sonata,"   .  .   50 

"  "  Jagdmorgen,"    .  .  .  .150 

"  Organ  Sonata  No.  1,  .  .    27 

"  "  "         No.  4,  .  .   81 

"  "  "         No.  5,  .  .  110 

"  "  "         No.  6,  .   .  124 

"  "         No.  11,    .  135 

"  "  "  G  major,  op.  88, 

103 


PAGE. 

Rheinberger,  Sonata  Pastorale,  .  .  .  1,  81 
"  "  St.  John's  Eve,  .  .  102,  104 

"  Passacaglia 142,  170 

"  "The  Wayside  Brook," 

138,  141 

"  Toccatina, 141 

"  "  Verfallene  Muhle,"    .  143 

Rhodes,  Sedohr,  Concert  of, 97 

Ricci,  Terzetto  from  "  Crispino," 

28,  30,  106.  107 

Riedl,  "  Jetzt  ist  er  hinaus," 33 

"     "  Wie  stolz  und  stattlich,"  .  .  .   33 

Ries,  Franz,"  Du  bist  die  Herrliehste,"  141 

"    "Es  muss  was  wunderbares  sein,"  51 

"    Suite,  op.  26 35,  106,  140 

Rietzel,  H.,  "  I  Saw  Thee  Weep,"  .  .   .   36 
Rietzel,  J.  C.,  "  Volksthumliche  Suite," 

69,  102, 170 

"  Ring  of  the  Niblung," 100, 157 

Ritter,  A.  G.,  Sonata,  E  minor,  ....  138 

Ritter,  F.  L 9 

Roeder,  "Love's  Dream," 62,139 

"      "  Mary  Magdalen,"    ....  62,  129 

"      "Spanish  Serenade," 129 

Rossini,  "Ah  quel  giorno  !" 27 

"       "Bel  raggio," 54 

"       Buffo  air,  "Cenerentola,"  27, 106 

"        "  Inflammatus," 129 

"  "  Largo  al  factotum,"  .  .  .107 
"  Overture,  "William  Tell,"  .  .  58 
"  Terzetto,"  Italian!  in  Algieri," 

28,30 

"       "Una  voce  poco  fa,"  ....   42 
Rossini-Paganini,  "Di  tanti  palpiti,"  36 

Rotoli,  "Bella  biondina," 106 

"       "  La  mia  bandiera," 96 

Rubinstein,  Air  from  "  Der  Damon," 

128,129 

"  Bal  Costume,"  .  .  .73,142 
"  Barcarolles,  .  50,  84, 108, 130,  141 
"  Concerto  for  violin,  ....  32 
"  "  D  minor,  for  pianoforte, 

98,100 
"  "    for  'cello  No.  2,  .  108,  170 

"       "  Die  Lerche," 59 

"       "Dubistwie  eine  Blume,"  59 
"  E  dunque  ver?  "  .  .  129,  139 
"       "  Kammenoi-Ostrow  "  No.  22, 
13,50 

"       "La  Russie," 80,  86 

"  Melodie," 109 

"       "  Morgenlied," 106 

"        "  Nero," 134,  138 

"       Quartet,   op.  66 55 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Rubinstein,  Quartet,  op.  17, 141 

"  "         op.  90,  No.  2,  .  .   81 

Quintet,   op.  99 125 

"       Romances  for  pianoforte, 

50,  85,  109,  128, 130 

"  Romance  for  violin,  ....  5 
"  Sonata  for  pianoforte  and 

'cello, 112 

"  "Song  of  the  Birds,"  ...  141 
"  "Sweetly  Sang  the  Bird,"  59 

"        Symphony  No.  6 83 

"  "The  Lotus  Flower,"  ...  59 
"  "The  Water  Nymph,"  .  .  59 
"  "  Thou  art  like  unto  a  flower," 

4 

"       Toccata 59,  101 

"       Trio,  B-flat,  op.  52 108 

"  "     No.  1,  op.  15, 140 

Rubinstein  Club,  Concerts  of  ...  59, 141 

Russell,  L.  A.,  Pastoral, 29,168 

Rust,  F.  W.,  Sonata  for  violin  .   .    104,  140 
Saint-Saens,  Adagio.  Second  Symphony, 

98 

"     Air  from  "  Samson  and  Delilah,"  141 
"     Ballet  Music  from  "  Henri  VIII,"  43 

"     Barcarolle, 73 

"     "  Benediction  Nuptiale,"  .  .     27,81 

"     Concerto,  G  minor, 87, 124 

"     Concertstiick  for  violin 50 

"     "Danse  Macabre," 105 

"     "Elevation,"  E  major 1 

"     "  Le  Rouet  d'Omphale,"   .  .     53,98 
"     "  Marche  Heroique,"  .....   69 

"     "Phaeton," 44,130 

"     "Reverie  du  Soir," 72 

"     "  Rhapsodie  d'Auvergne,"   ...    32 
"     Rhapsody  No.  1  on  Breton  Melodies, 

14 

"     Symphony  No.  3,  C  minor,  .  .  .  134 
"     Tarantelle  for  flute  and  clarinet, 

103,  116 
Saint-Saens-Guilmant,  Prelude,  "  Le 

Deluge,"     124 

Salom£,  Grand  Choeur,  A 4 

"        March,  B-flat 56 

"       "  Melodie,"  C  major 85 

"       Offertory,  D-flat, 112 

"          op.  8 128 

'•       Sonata,  C  minor 105 

Santley,  "  Only  to  Love," 130 

Sapio,  R.,  "  Vieni  sua  1'onda,"   .  .    58,  85 

Sarasate,  "  Faust  "  Fantasia,  ...  57, 139 

"        "  Serenade  Andalouse,"    .  .  4,  6 

"         "Zapateada," 1,53 


PAGE. 
Sarasate,  "  Zigeunerweisen,"  .  28,52,100 

Scarlatti,  Allegro  Vivace 29 

•'         "O  cessata  di  piagarmi,"  .  .  133 

Pastorale 29,  52,  72,  109 

"         Sonata,  D  minor 141 

Schamann,  Anton,  "  Rovers,"   ....    53 
Scharwenka,  P.,  "  Arkadische  Suite," 

97,  170 
"          "  Liebesnacht," 

56,  86,  116,  170 

"          X.,  Concerto  No.  1,  .  .  87, 123 
"          Sonata,  pianoforte  and  violin, 

58 

Schlesinger,  S.  B.,  Melody, 105 

Schmidt,  Gustav,  "  Carmosenella,"  .  .    33 
Schneider,  J.,  Fantasia  and  Fugue,  C 

minor,     84 

Schnell,  "In  Springtime," 139 

Schotte,   Armin,  Overture  on  American 

Airs 82 

Schreiber,  L.,  "Souvenir  de  West,"  .  113 

Schubert,  "  Abschied," 109 

"          "  Am  Meer," 5,  82, 124 

"  Aufenthalt," 13, 124 

"         "Cradle  Song,"     109 

"         "  Der  Neugierige," 13 

"          "Der  Tod  und  das  Madchen," 

124 

"          "  Der  Wanderer,"  53,  86, 108, 129 
"          "  Friihlingsglaube,"    ....     5 

"          "Fruhlingsnacht," 124 

"         Funeral  March,  C  minor,  .  .  133 

"          "  God  in  Nature," 141 

"          "  Gretchen  am  Spinurade,"  149 
"          "  Gruppe  aus  dem  Tartarus,"  14 

"          "  Hedge  Roses," 140 

"          "Im  Abendroth," 124 

"         "  Im  Freien," 72 

"          "  Impromptu,"  G  major,  80,  82 
"          "  Kennst  du  das  Land?"   .   43 

"         "  Nachtstuck," 109 

"         Quartet,  D  minor,  43,  69, 108, 124 

"          Quintet,  op.  114 72 

"Sehnsucht," .109 

"          "Standchen," 13,56 

"         Symphony  in  C,   .   .   .  29,  53,  80 
"  "          B  minor,   .  .   53, 125 

"  The  Trout," 140 

"          "The  Young  Nun,"       ...   57 
"Ungeduld,".  .  .  .    13,56,124 

Schubert-Best,  Adagio  in  C, 32 

"          "      Andantino, 32 

"          "    Entr'acte  "  Rosamuude,"  32 
Schubert-Heller,  "  Die  Forelle,"  ...   83 


(186) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Schubert-Joachim,  Duo  Sonata,  op.  140, 81 
Schubert-Liszt,"  Du  bist  die  Rub.'," 

48,  87,  101 

"          "    Funeral   March 57 

"  "  "  Great  is  Jehovah,"  .  .113 
"  "  "  Wanderer  "  Fantasia,  139 

"          "    Erdmannsdorfer,  Diver- 
tissement a  la  Hougroise, 
83,  102,  133 

Schubert-Tausig,  Marche  Militaire,     .    55 
Schultz,  Edwin,  "Das  Herz  am  Rhein," 

139 
"        "Forest  Harps,"  .   .   .  49,  53,  149 

Schumann,  "Albumblatter," 29 

"        "Arabesque,"   op.    18,  ...    84 

"Carneval,"      130 

"  Concerto,  A  minor,  ...  80,  113 
"  "  for  violoncello,  .  .  105 
"  "  Die  alteu  bosen  Lieder,"  .  13 
"  "  Die  beiden  Grenadiere,"  14 
"  "  Du  bist  wie  eine  Blume,"  53 
"  "  Er,  der  Herrlichste  von  Al- 
len,"   32 

"       "Friihlingsnacht,"    ....     6 

"        "Gypsy  Life," 149 

"  "Ich  grolle  uicht,"  .  .  .140 
"  "Ich  kann's  nicht  fassen,"  56 
"  "  Im  wunderschouen  Monat 

Mai," ...    13 

"  "In  der  Fremde,"  ....  6 
"  "  Manfred,"  Music  to,  123,125 
"  "  Mit  Myrthen  und  Rosen, "140 

"        "  Monduacht," 56 

"       Overture,  "  Bride  of  Messina," 
61 

"       Overture,  Scherzo  and  Finale, 
134 

"       Quartet,  op.  47, 37,  81 

"         op.  41,  No.  1,  .   .     103 
"         op.  41,  No.  3,  .   .  .108 

"       Romance,  op.   28 140 

"Rovers,"      149 

"       Scenes  from  "  Faust,"  .   .  50,  99 

"       Sonata,  F-sharp  minor,  .   .    55 

"       Sonata,  pianoforte  and  violin, 

110 

"       "  Sonnenschein," 32 

"       "  Sonntag  am  Rhein,  .  .  .  6,  13 

"       Symphony  No.  3,  "  Rhenish," 

85,  108 

"  "        No.  4,  D  minor,  82,  98 

"       "Tragodie," 5 

"       Variations  for  two  pianofortes, 
101 


PAGE. 

Schumann, "Vogelals  Prophet,"  .  6,  59,  87 
"  "  Waldesgesprach,"  .  6,  83,  140 

"       "  Wanderlied," 13 

"       "Water  Sprite," 141 

"        "Widmung," 83 

Schumann-Best,  Tempo  di  Minuetto  .    73 
Schumann-Reinecke,  "Bilder  aus  Os- 

ten,"      103 

Seeling,  Hans,   "Gnomentanz,"  .  .  .    83 

Seidl,  Anton,  Concerts  of.  ...  117,126,135 

"      Conducting  of  "  Gotterdammer- 

ung," 94 

'•  "       of  Beethoven's  Eighth 

Symphony, 136 

"  Letter  on  Wagner's  Symphony,117 
Selby,  B.  Luard,  "  Reverie,"  ....  4, 130 

Sgambati,   Gavotte 32 

"        Minuetto,  op.  18, 58 

Shelley,  H.R., "Christmas," 60 

"      "  Dance  of  Egyptian  Maidens,"  29 
"      Grand  Sonata  for  strings,  .  116, 170 

"      "Resurrection," 125 

"      Serenade,  A  minor, 138 

"      "Twilight   Picture," 14 

Sherwood,  E.   H.,  "When  I  Dream  of 

Thee," 36 

Sherwood,  W.  H.,"  Idy lie," 113 

"         "  Medea," 33 

"  Siegfried,"    .  17,  27,  29,  32,  51,  59,  69,  80, 

81,  101,  105,  111,  142,  152,  153,  168 

Siegfried,  Description  of  in  Eddas,  .  .    95 

Silas,  E.,  Sonata  in  F 96 

"  Singing,  Decadence  of,  ....  164 
Sjogren,  E.,  Fantasia,  op.  15,  No  1,  .  .  50 
Smart,  Henry,  Andante  grazioso,  .  96, 125 

"      Postlude,  E-flat 12 

"      "  The  Water  Nymph," 49 

Smetana,  F.,"  Eine  Lustspiel  Ouverture," 
28,  98, 170 

Smith,  Gerrit,  Organ  Recitals  of,  .1,  4,  6, 
14,  28,  32,  43,  51,  56,  60,  79,  81,  85,  98, 
103,  107,  111,  112,  123,  125,  128, 130, 138 

Smith,  Wilson  G.,  Gavotte 33 

Spark,  Wm.,  Variations,  "  Jerusalem, 

the  golden," 123 

Spohr,  Adagio,  A-flat, 6 

Spohr-Best,  Adagio  Ninth  Concerto,    .  130 

"       "      Andantino, 134 

"       "      Larghetto  from  Symphony 

No.  1, 31 

"      Psalm  CXXX 110 

Spontini  as  Conductor 76 

"       and  Wagner 76,  78 

"       and  Berlioz 78 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Spontini,  "  Ferdinand  Cortez," 

73,  80,  81,  168 

Staeger,"  The  Dream  King  and  his  Love," 

149 

Stanford,  C.V.,  Irish  Symphony,  72, 98, 170 
Stephenson  and  Cellier,  "  Dorothy," 

14,  60,  149,  168 

Stewart,  R.  P.,  Concerto  Fantasia,  .  .    81 
Storch,  A.  M.,  "  Nachtzauber,"  ....  143 

"Stradella," 31 

Strauss,  "Artists'  Life," 28 

"  "  Wine,  Women,  and  Song,"  .  54 
Strauss,  Richard,  "Italy,"  .  128,129,170 
Strelezki,  A.,  "Dreams,".  .  .  .  129,130 
Strong,  G.  Templeton,  Symphony  No.  1, 

40,170 

Sturm,  "Der  Lenz  ist  da," 143 

"       "  Der  Ritt  in's  Waldgeheg,"  61,  82 

"       "Twitter,  twitter," 59 

St.  Verroulst,  Oboe  solo, 133 

Sucher,  J.,  "Das  Waldfraulein,"  ...    99 

"         "Visions," 59 

"        "  Wonneverkiindigung,"    .  .140 

Svendsen,  Quartet,  op.  1 72 

"          Romance  for  violin,  .  .  72,  111 
"          "Serenade  Venetienne,"    .   58 

Sweelinck,  J.  P.,  Fantasia, 133 

Symphony  Society  Concerts, 

14,  43,  60,  80,  98,  113 

"  Tannhauser,"  9, 16,  28,  32, 52, 59,  61,  63,  69, 
83,  102,  123,  125,  126,  130,  138,  139,  142, 
150,  152,  153. 
Taubert,  W.,  "Der  Landsknecht,"  .  .139 

Tausig,  "  Halka"  Fantasia 80 

"       Waltz  Caprice 110 

Temple,  Hope,  "An  Old  Garden," 

53,  129, 130 

Thalberg,  Etude,  A  minor,  .  .  .    106, 108 

"         Fantasia,  "  La  Muette,"  102, 106 

"  "          "  Sonnambula,"  .  102 

Thayer,  Arthur  W.,  "Heinz  von  Stein," 

104,  140 

"        "  Sea  Greeting," 140 

Thayer,  Eugene,  Fugue,  A  minor,  .  .   33 

Them,  C.,  "Genius  cocci," 139 

Thiele,  E.,  Chromatic  Fantasia  and 

Fugue 106 

"       Concert  Piece,  C  minor,  ....    27 

"  "  "      E-flat, 116 

"       Danse  Caracteristique,   ....    97 

"       Theme  and  Variations,  A-flat,  .    54 

Thomas,  A.  Goring,  "A  Summer  Night," 

138 
"         "  The  Fire  Worshippers,"  .  .    33 


PAGE. 

Thomas,  A.  Goring,"  Wind  in  the  Trees," 

53 

Thomas,  Ambroise,  "  Dirge," Ill 

"        Excerpts  from  "  Mignon," 

27,  52,  55,  58,  72,  82, 100,  107,  109 
"        Overture,  "  Le  Songe  d'  une  Nuit 

d'  et<§," 70 

Thomas-Benedict,  Duo Ill 

Thomas,  G.  A.,  Fantasia,  "Ein'  feste 

Burg," 125 

Thomas,  J.,  "Autumn  "  for  harp,  .     42,  59 
Thomas,  Theodore,  his  Symphony  Con- 
certs, 16,  37,  53,  61,  83,  86, 104, 108, 
113,  128,  134,  140. 

"  Young  People's  Matinees,  28,  43, 
56,  69,  81,  97,  103,  122,  125,  130,  133, 
142. 

"  his  Symphony  Readings,  .  .  167 
Tinel,  Edgar,  Sonata,  G  minor,  ....  73 
Toulmin,  Fantasia,  "  Uu  Ballo,"  ...  141 

Tours,  B.,  Allegro,  D  major 123 

"      "Angel  at  the  Window,"  .  .  .  107 

"      "Pilgrims'  Lane," 56 

"      Postlude  in  D, 102 

"  "  The  three  Singers,".  .  .  .  100 
"Tristan  und  Isolde," 

12,  16,  34,  72,  131,  152,  153 
"  Trompeter  von  Siikkingen," 

32,  38,  43,  51,  52,  61,  69,  82,  152,  153, 168 

"  Trovatore,"     3,  4,  5,  32,  37,  44 

Tscha'ikowsky,  Andante  Cantabile,  .  .    29 

"       Concerto  for  pianoforte,  op.  23, 

82 

"  "          "    violin,  ...   .135 

"       "Marche  Slave,"  ....  54, 133 
"        "  Nur  wer  die  Sehnsucht 

kennt," 139 

"       Serenade  for  strings,    ...   53 
Suite,  "  Mozartiana,"  .  103,  170 

"        Trio,  op.  50, 43 

Tua,  Teresina,  Concerts  of,  .  3,  4,  5, 13,  33 
Ulrich,  Hugo,  Symphonie  Triomphale,124 
Urspruch,  A.,  "  German  Dances,"  .  3, 170 
Van  Bree,  "  Rise  and  break  the  chains," 

113 

Van  der  Stucken,  Concerts  of  American 

music,  29,  31,  33,  36,  40,  165, 171 

"          "  Early  Love,"  .  .  .  .33,58 

"  "  Ein  Sangerfestzug,"   .     6 

"  "  Moonlight," 33 

"          Music  to  "The  Tempest," 

87,  143 

Van  de  Water,  B.,  "Sunset," 55 


(188) 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Van  Krieken,  G.  B.,  Praludium  "  Ero- 

ica," 141 

Veit,  Trio, 107 

Verdi,  "Ah!  si,  ben  mio," 30 

"     Aria  from  "  Traviata," 57 

"        "        "    "Simone  Boccanegra," 
31,  106 

"     as  Dramatist 163 

' '     Bolero  from  ' '  I  Vespri  Sicilian!, ' '  42 

"      "Caro  nome," 30,  97 

"     "  Celeste  A'ida," 139 

"      "  Ella  giainrnai  m'am&,"    ...    27 

"      "Eri  tu," 42 

"      Finale  from  "Ernani,"  ....    27 

"     "II  balen," 42 

"     "O  don  fatale," 55 

"      "  Otello,"  .   .   .  101,  105,  143,  165,  168 

"     Overture,  "  Aroldo," 27 

"  Prelude  to  "Traviata,".  ...  27 
"  Quartet  from  "  Rigoletto,"  .  .  31 
"  Romance  from  "Don  Carlos,"  .  70 
"  "  "  "Ernani,"  ...  Ill 

"     "  Ritorna  vincitor," 139 

"     "  Si  la  stauchezza," 27,107 

"      "  Trovatore,"  .   .   .  3,  4,  5,  32,  37,  44 

"  Victor,  the  Bluestocking,"  .  104,  112, 113 

Vieuitemps,  Adagio  and  Rondo,  .  .  .  149 

"  "  Air  Varie,"    ....  4,  13,  54 

"  Allegro, 28 

"          Ballade  and  Polonaise, 

5,  6,  13,  150 

"  Concerto  in  E, 27 

"          Fantasia  Appassionata,   .    30 

"  "       Caprice,  5,  62, 100, 109 

"          Introduction  and  Rondo,  85 

Vilbac,  Renaud  de,  Andante  Cantabile,  85 

"       Marche  Triomphale, 85 

Viotti,  Concerto,  A  minor, 130 

Vocal  Union,  Concert  of, 48, 100 

Volckmar,  W.,  "Fest  Sonata,"   ....   43 

Volkmann,  Andante  religioso 59 

"         "I  press  her  eyelids,"  .  .   .109 
"         Overture,  "  Richard  III,"  .  130 

"         "Sappho,"     6 

"         Serenade  No.  2,   .   .  61,  102,  125 
Von  Weinzierl,  "  Drinking  Song,"   .  .106 
"  "Du  schone  Maid," 

6, 105,  168 

Vorhis,  Arthur,  Concert  of 87 

Voyer,  Marcel,  Concerts  of,   .  102,  106, 108 

Wagner,  Oscar,  Sonata  for  organ,  .  .     6 

Wagner,    R.,   "Albumblatt,"     ....  107 

"       and  American  people,  ....  160 

"       as  conductor 77, 121 


PAGE. 

Wagner,  R.,  Death  March  in  "Gotter- 
dammerung,"    91 

"       Dich  theure  Halle," 50 

"  "Eine  Faust  Ouvertiire,"32,  53,  85 
"  Excisions  from  his  dramas,  .  87 
"  First  of  his  operas  in  America,  9 

"       Gluckand, 76 

"        "Gotterdammerung,"  80,  87,97, 
103,  107,  108,  110,  126,  152,  153, 
168. 
"       His  interest  in  his  youthful 

works 117 

"        "  Huldigungsmarsch,"   .  .  43,  62 

"        "Kaisermarsch,"    .....    16 

"       Last  time  he  conducted,  .  .  .121 

"       "Liebesmahl  der  Apostel,"  .  118 

"        "  Lohengrin,"  49,  56,  63,  70,  86, 

99,  103,  109,  137,  152,  153 

"        "  Meistersinger,"  13,  29,  53,  57,  71, 

113,  117,  130,  152,  153 

"       Norn  scene  not  dramatic,  .  .   89 

"       Overture,  C  major 118 

"  Polonia,"  ....  118 

"Britannia,"      .   .  118 

"       "  Parsifal  "  prelude,  .   .   .  117, 133 

"        Prize  Song 51,  71 

"  "  Rienzi,"  finale,  Act  I.,  .  .  .  51 
"  "  overture .  .  50,  96,  133 

"  "Rheingold,"  Scene  from,.  73 
"  "  Ring  of  the  Niblung," 

100,  157,  160 

"        "Siegfried,"  17,  27,29,  32,  51,  59, 
69,   80,   81,    101,  105,   111,  142, 
152,  153,  168. 
"Siegfried  Idyl,"  .  .  125,  130,  142 

"        Spontini  and 76,  78 

"        Sym phony  in  C 117,170 

"  "Tannhiiuser,"  9,  16,  28,  32,  52, 
59,  61,  63,  69,  83,  102,  123,  125, 
126,  134,  150,  152,  153. 

"        "Triiume," 43 

"       "  Tristan  und  Isolde," 

12,  16,  34,  72,  131 

"       Verdi  and 145 

"        "Walkure,"  27,  53,  57,  61,  63,84, 
85,  100,  104, 152,  153. 

"       Weber  and 76 

Wagner-Brassin,  "Magic  Fire  Scene,"  49 
Wagner-Liszt,  "Spinning  Song," 

6,  29, 110 

Wagner-Richter,  Fragments  from  "  Sieg- 
fried "  and  "  Gotterdammerung,"  .    80 
Wagner- Warren,  Overture"  Tannhiiuser," 

59 


(l89) 


INDEX 


PACK. 

"Walkiire,"  27,  53,  57,  61,  63,  84,  85,  100, 

104,  152,  153. 

Wallace,  W.V.,  "  Corin  f or  Cleora dying," 

48 

"       Cracovienne,     52 

"       "  Maritana,"  extracts  from, 

54,128 

Walter,  Carl,  Rondo,  B  minor,  ....   62 

Warren,   Samuel  P.,  Organ  Recitals  of, 

12,  27,  31,  50,  54,  59,  73,  81,  84, 

96,  101,  105,  110,  112,  116,  124, 

125,  129,  133.  135,  141. 

"Fair   Daffodils," 33 

Weber,  "  Cantatella,"     113 

"     "  Concertstuck," 58,62,84 

"     Concerto  for  two  pianofortes,  .   83 
"     "Euryanthe," 

2,  42,  57,  62,  70,  79,  85,  97,  152, 153 
"  "  Freischutz,"  .  .9,43,53,57,72,99 
"  "  Invitation  a  la  Valse," 

29,  69,  70,  96,  103,  130 

"     "  Jubel "  overture 52 

"     "  Oberon,"  overture,  .  43,  50,  54,  73 
"     "Ocean,  thou  mighty  monster," 

113 

"     Sonata  No.  1 106 

"      No.  3 108 

Weber-Berlioz,  "Invitation  a  la  Valse," 

69,  70 
Weber-Liszt,  Polonaise, 

3,  44,  52,  53,  57, 101,  111 


PAGE. 

Weber-Tausig,  "  Invitation  &  la  Valse," 

29,  130 

Weinwurm,  "Sunday  Morning,"  .  .  .  108 
Wely,  Lefebure,  "Communion,".  .  .111 
Wesley,  S.  S.,  "Air  for  Hols  worthy  Church 

Bells," 130 

West,  J.  E.,  "  Love  and  Summer,"  .  .    48 

"     Postlude,  E-flat 98 

"     "  Sketch," 6, 107 

Whiting,  Arthur,  Concerto,  D  minor,  .  31 
Whiting,  George  E.,  Air,  "  Tale  of  the 

Viking,''     29 

Widor,  C.  M.,  Organ  Symphony  No.  2,  84 
No.  5, 141 

"  "  "  No.  6,  51 

Wieniawski,  H.,  "Airs  Russes,"  .  .  .  149 

"  Concerto  No.  2 42 

"  "Faust"  Fantasia,    .  .5,13 

"  "  Legende," 1 

Mazurka, 4,  31,  83 

"Polish  Airs," 107 

"  Polonaise  No.  2 58 

"  "Souvenir  de  Moscou," 

3, 13,  53, 129 

Witt,  "The  Tear," 55 

"      "O  Thou  who  art," 105 

Wolfrum,  P.,  Sonata,  B-flat  minor,  .  .  116 

Wood,  W.  G.,  Postlude  in  D 103 

Zarcycki,  Mazourka,  .  .  4,  5,  13,  72,  111,  130 
Zehngraf,  "Suabian  Folksong."  .  .  .  108 
Zoelliier,  "  Young  Siegfried," 143 


(  190) 


NOTES 


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REVIEW  OF  THE 
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CONTAINING  PROGRAMMES  OF  NOTEWORTHY  OCCURRENCES, 
WITH  NUMEROUS  CRITICISMS, 


H.    E.    KREHBIEL. 


Volume  I,  1885-1886. 
Volume  II,  1886-1887. 
Volume  III,  1887-1888. 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON: 

NOVELLO,  EWER  &  Co, 


PRESS  NOTICES. 

Mr.  Krehbiel  is  a  musical  critic  of  very  high  rank,  not  only  among 
American  writers  on  music,  but  as  compared  with  critics  of  European 
celebrity.  The  introduction  prepares  us  for  a  pleasure  of  no  ordinary 
kind  ;  it  is  written,  not  in  American,  but  in  English  of  almost  unimpeachable 
purity  .  .  .  and  with  a  degree  of  literary  style  for  which  we  were 
scarcely  prepared.  If  all  English  critics  would  get  this  book  and  attempt  to 
imitate  the  writer's  fearless  honesty,  impartiality,  and,  more  than  all,  his 
power  of  forming  an  opinion,  English  musical  criticism  would  be  a  different 
thing  from  what  it  is  at  present. — London  Musical  World. 

Vom  Verfasser  dieser  Rundschau,  Herrn  Krehbiel,  weiss  ich  nicht  zu 
sagen.  ob  er  ein  Deutscher  oder  ein  eingeborener  Amerikaner  ist ;  sein  Name 
war  mir  bisher  unbekannt,  sein  Buch  kam  mir  aus  zweiter  Hand  zu.  Aber 
seine  Besprechungen  habe  ich  mit  grossem  Vergniigen  gelesen  ;  sie  lassen 
iiberall  den  musika  isch  griindlich  gebildeten  und  einsichtsvollen  Beurtheiler 
erkennen  ;  man  begegnet  fast  auf  jeder  Seite  richtigster  durchdachter  Auf- 
fassung  und  gliicklichen  Einfallen.  Er  steht  ganz  auf  dem  Boden  der  neuen 
Anschauungen,  behalt  jedoch  immer  die  allgemeinen  Kunstgesetze  im  Auge. 
Seine  Besprechungen  bezeugen  gleichzeitig  seine  griindlichen  Kenntnisse  wie 
seine  Verdienste  um  den  Sieg  deutscher  Music  in  New  York. — Prof.  Ehrlich 
in  the  Tageblait,  Berlin. 


It  would  not  be  opportune  on  this  occasion,  even  if  it  were  possible,  to 
deal  with  Mr.  Krehbiel's  criticisms.  Dissenting  from  them  as  we  do  in  cer- 
tain matters,  they  are  unquestionably  the  product  of  remarkable  independ- 
ence and  insight.  His  criticism  of  Mme.  Patti's  Carmen  is  positively  refresh- 
ing, and  his  remarks  (pp.  201-204)  on  Beethoven's  belief  in  the  metronome, 
in  connection  with  Herr  Seidl's  interpretation  of  the  symphonies,  show  that 
a  conservative  antagonism  to  mere  lawlessness  is  quite  compatible  with  an 
intense  faith  in  the  advanced  school  of  composers  and  interpreters.  It  is, 
therefore,  from  no  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  critic's  learning  and  judg- 
ment that  attention  is  primarily  directed  to  the  merits  of  this  book  as  a 
compilation  rather  than  to  the  literary  and  critical  qualities  of  his  commen- 
tary.—  The  Saturday  Review,  London. 

His  writing  is  distinguished  throughout  by  rare  acumen,  and,  though  his 
sympathies  may  lie  in  a  modern  direction,  he  speaks  with  enthusiasm  of 
older  master-pieces,  and  his  criticism  of  Wagner's  works,  though  properly 
appreciative,  is  no  less  just  and  discriminating. —  The  Athentzum,  London. 

Indeed,  the  articles  extracted  from  the  New  York  Tribime  cannot  be  read 
without  much  profit.  Their  author  has  a  clear  way  of  looking  at  things,  and 
is  very  far  from  a  blind  partisan. — Musical  Times,  London. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  with  such  a  censor  and  guide  as  the  author  of 
this  book  the  art  should  make  good  and  substantial  advance,  for  his  judgment 
is  accurate,  his  expressions  are  fearless,  his  pen  is  powerful,  and  the  basis  of 
his  knowledge  well  founded  and  firm. —  The  Morning  Post,  London. 

The  literary  grace  which  characterizes  Mr.  Krehbiel's  pages,  the  knack  of 
taking  up  a  topic  and  making  its  consideration  entertaining  without  being 
superficial,  and  instructive  sans  pedantry  to  the  general  reader,  are  as  pecu- 
liarly a  charm  of  this  volume  as  of  its  predecessor.  Its  critiques  have  little 
in  common  with  the  work  of  the  average  musical  editor,  capable  and  prac- 
ticed as  he  may  be;  for  one  recognizes  here  the  mind  and  hand  of  the  scholar 
whose  culture  and  taste  in  the  entire  field  of  art  and  letters  are  remarkable 
in  a  specialist  of  such  complete  attainments. —  The  Independent,  New  York. 

In  one  sense  it  would  seem  that  Mr.  Krehbiel  has  failed  to  show  much 
foresight  in  publishing  this  REVIEW.  It  contains  so  much  statistical  infor- 
mation and  is  so  saturated,  so  to  speak,  with  the  intense  musical  enthusiasm 
of  the  author,  that  small  critics  can  have  high  living  for  some  time  and  have 
a  good  deal  of  ready-made  capital ;  and,  in  fact,  our  only  severe  criticism  of 
Mr.  Krehbiel's  book  is  that  he  takes  the  public  too  much  into  his  confidence. 
One  could  easily  read  between  the  lines  and  obtain  a  pretty  accurate  idea  of 
the  author's  ideas  upon  almost  any  subject. —  The  Musical  Courier,  New  York. 

Mr.  Krehbiel  will  probably  remain  the  leading  historian  and  critic  of 
musical  evolution  in  the  United  States. — New  Orleans  Times- Democrat. 


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